What If?
by Wee Fee
Summary: The idea for this has been in my head since the episode where Danielle died, what if she hadn't? What if someone unexpected had come to her rescue?
1. Chapter 1

Danielle froze as she saw the headlights coming towards her. She could hear Ronnie, her mum, screaming her name, she sounded miles away. She tried to move, to get herself out of the way, but her legs wouldn't work. As the car got closer, she could see Janine in the driver's seat, a horrified expression on her face. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. With one last look at her mother, she closed her eyes, and braced herself for the impact of the car. She felt something slam into her chest, throwing her to the other side of the road. She cracked her head off the kerb, knocking her out. In the background fuzz she heard another desperate scream from her mother, before everything finally went black.

"Roxy?" Ronnie gasped, staring numbly at the blonde girl lying in the middle of the road, a pool of blood slowly seeping out from underneath her. Her brain finally caught up with what had happened, and she felt sick. She glanced over at Danielle. She seemed ok, unconscious, only a small cut on her forehead, but ok. Roxy, on the other hand, wasn't looking so good. Stacey rounded the corner, going straight to Danielle, who seemed to be waking up. Ronnie wished that she would wake up, this had to be a bad dream, had to be.

She knelt beside her sister, picking her up and cradling her head in her lap. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through her hair, as she gently called Roxy's name, trying to wake her. Roxy's eyelids fluttered open, and a small smile formed on her lips. Ronnie tried to smile back, but a choked sob was all she could manage.

"I'm an idiot, I know." Roxy whispered, her breath coming in gasps. She reached up and touched Ronnie's cheek. Ronnie covered her sister's hand with her own, and more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Roxy...why? Why did you just do that? What the hell were you thinking?" Ronnie didn't, couldn't, understand. Roxy had just thrown herself in front of a car, why?

"You just found her Ron, you couldn't deal with losing her now. I couldn't let you go through that." Roxy said, a little more strongly, letting Ronnie hold onto the hope that she'd be ok. That the amount of blood she was losing was fine, she'd be alright.

"Do you really think I can deal with losing you? Rox..." She looked up at Stacey, who was frantically shaking Danielle, trying to make her friend open her eyes. "Stacey? You need to go get help, go get a doctor, get an ambulance! Do something! Don't just stand there!" Ronnie screamed, her eyes flickering between Stacey and Janine. She was panicking now, her daughter and sister were lying in the middle of the road, bleeding, and no one was doing anything. "Go NOW!"

Stacey stood, trembling a little, and with a last squeeze of a now awake and groggy Danielle's hand, she stumbled off in the direction of the Vic. Ronnie could see Danielle sit up in the corner of her eye, and she let out a small sigh of relief. She was ok, her baby was going to be ok.

Turning her attention back to Roxy, she noticed how laboured her breathing was getting. She prayed, possibly for the first time in her life, for Stacey to hurry. She needed Roxy.

Danielle got up and slowly made her way over to her mum and aunt. She wasn't really sure what to do. She thought, hoped, that maybe Ronnie would need her, but she just didn't know what to say. Roxy had just saved her life, possibly losing her own in the process. A wave of guilt crashed over her, and she crouched down next to Ronnie, putting a hand on her shoulder. She felt her flinch at the contact, and pulled her hand away. She went to move, thinking Ronnie didn't want her around for such a personal moment, but felt a shaking hand grab her wrist and pull her back. She ended up draped across Ronnie's back, resting her cheek on her mother's hair. She pressed a small kiss onto Ronnie's cheek, and let a few tears of her own escape. She saw Roxy smiling up at her, so she grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Roxy, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. You shouldn't have done that, I-" Roxy cut Danielle off with a small 'shh'.

"Of course I should, you're family, I wasn't gonna let anything happen to you. I love you, silly." Roxy said, with a small laugh. Danielle smiled tentatively back at her, and gripped her hand a little tighter. She felt Ronnie lean against her a little, so tucked her other arm round her mother's waist, giving her an awkward hug. Danielle didn't understand, how could Roxy love her? She didn't even know her. In Danielle's experience family ties weren't that strong, but then, this family was different. It seemed no matter what they did to each other, there was still love between them.

"What about Amy? Didn't you think of her before you did this? She shouldn't have to grow up without a mum because of me!" Danielle cried, more tears bubbling to the surface. Roxy dismissed her with a simple smile.

"I know she'll be in good hands. You and Ronnie will do a great job taking care of her for me." Roxy said, her voice coming in gasps. Jack, Peggy and Phil came around the corner, just as the words left her lips, and a smile of understanding passed Jack's. This was Roxy's way of giving him and Ronnie a chance, letting Ron have both babies she's been dreaming about, without the awkwardness there was between the two of them. He hoped. So long as those girls could get Ronnie through this.

"Hey, what's all this talk of leaving? No one is going anywhere. Everything is going to be fine, look, the cavalry's arrived. Come on, you just have to hang on a little bit longer till the ambulance gets here. And you're going to hang on, you hear me?" Ronnie said firmly, her eyes locked on her sister's. "You cannot leave me. You can't, just hang on please..." With that, Ronnie broke down, resting her head against Roxy's, listening to her breath rattle in and out of her chest. She was getting the horrible impression that her sister wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Roxy could hear Auntie Peggy squawking away at Phil behind her, and Jack shouting into his phone, at what she assumed was a 999 person, but all she could focus on were the 2 people in front of her. Her sister and her niece. It struck her that she really should have figured things out before now. Ronnie and Danielle were like 2 peas in a pod. Same sparkly blue eyes, same nose, same cows lick, that made their fringes sit awkwardly. She tried to laugh, but her chest hurt, everything hurt. The edges of her vision were starting to blur. She knew she didn't have much time left. She let out a few tears as she realised she was never going to see her daughter again. And all of a sudden, she realised why Ronnie was the way she was. She felt like her heart was being ripped out, and she would only have to deal with it for a couple of hours at the most. Ronnie had been dealing with it for 19 years. She felt instantly ashamed for all the times she'd been horrible to her sister, she knew she couldn't deal with anything on top of this.

"Ron?" Roxy said, forcing her eyes open. Ronnie swallowed back her tears and looked down at her sister. She felt Danielle shaking beside her, her sobs racking her tiny body. All she wanted to do was look after her, protect her, and after being her mum for five minutes she'd failed.

"I love you. And I'm sorry, for everything. You're the best sister in the world, and you're gonna be the best mum in the world. You look after them girls for me." Roxy whispered, gripping Danielle's hand tightly.

"Rox...I love you too. But stop talking like this, you're gonna be fine. Absolutely fine." Ronnie said firmly, her gaze never leaving Roxy's.

Danielle's eyes flickered between her mother and her aunt. She felt like she shouldn't be there, that she was intruding on an extremely private moment. She thought about getting up and leaving them to it, but she didn't think her legs would carry her. They were starting to ache from staying in her crouched position for so long. She could feel Ronnie's rapid heartbeat against her arm, heightening her anxiety. It took a lot to worry Ronnie, an awful lot to make her this upset. It angered her, the way the rest of the square saw Ronnie, as this uncaring, unfeeling robot. She wasn't, she's just like everyone else. She's just been hurt one too many times. Danielle couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be the straw that broke her mother's back.


	2. Chapter 2

---Hey guys!! Wasn't expecting such a response to my first fic so quickly, wow! So yeah, I hated the way EE just killed Danielle off, they took the easy way out. Just wanted to try something a bit different, and for the record, I looooove Roxy, but I wanted to show her in a different light, so that she's not just the selfish younger sister we've all seen.

Ronnie turned to Danielle, looking at her properly for the first time. Blood was trickling down her cheek from a gash on her forehead, and a painful looking bruise was blooming around it. Her skin was frighteningly pale and slightly damp. She looked so scared, so concerned, it made Ronnie, amongst other things, a little proud. Her daughter, her little girl, cared so much about everyone. She was so different to Ronnie, not at all guarded, not at all cold. Just a nice person. As much as it made Ronnie proud, it also concerned her. Danielle was so naive, and vulnerable. People could, and had, come into her life and hurt her, Ronnie was probably the worst offender. Danielle sniffed back a few tears and turned her head, catching Ronnie's gaze. She gave her half a smile, just to let her know she was ok.

The sound of sirens made everyone's head snap up. Roxy's eyes had closed a few seconds ago, but the rising and falling of her chest gave everyone hope. Peggy asked Ronnie something, Danielle didn't catch what it was, but it gave her mother a few seconds of relief. It was during those few seconds that Roxy's chest stopped moving. Danielle didn't know what to do at first, shocked into silence she tried to warn Ronnie, warn anyone, but couldn't. She shook Roxy's hand, gripping it so hard she was sure she'd be drawing blood, but there was nothing. No response.

"Roxy?!" She eventually managed a terrified scream that made everyone jump. Ronnie shook her sister, gently at first, then more violently. She called her name a few times, getting louder and more frantic the longer it went on. After a few attempts, Ronnie put two trembling fingers to her neck. Nothing, no pulse. Ronnie could hear Danielle's sobs beside her, she could hear Peggy bawling, she could hear Jack on the phone again, but none of it registered. Her sister was dead. Gone, forever. If it wasn't for Danielle and Peggy's presence she'd have hit someone. Roxy was dead. It didn't seem real.

"She's dead." Ronnie said, an emotionless voice that she didn't consider her own stating the facts. Danielle buried her face in Ronnie's hair, crying loudly, uncontrollably. Ronnie wanted to comfort her, but how could she?

All too soon warm arms were pulling her sister away. Her first instinct was to pull her back, not letting anyone hurt Roxy, not again, not now. It took a few seconds, and a few words from Danielle, before she recognised the fluorescent jacket of a paramedic. Letting Roxy go, the floodgates opened. Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked as the reality of the situation became clear. Danielle's arms wound around her neck, her hands gripping her dress, unwilling to let go. Her daughter needed her, really needed her, and all Ronnie could do was sit there and cry. After a few seconds, she managed to pull herself together a little, putting her own arms around Danielle's waist, holding on to her tightly, as if she was a lifeline.

"We're coming with her." Ronnie said, in a wavering voice as Roxy was placed in the back of the ambulance.

"Sweetheart, I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm sorry, love, but she's gone." The male paramedic said. The female was currently pulling a white sheet over Roxy's face.

"But...she can't be. She was gonna be ok, she was gonna hold on for me?" Whispered Ronnie, in an almost child-like way. She didn't know what to do. Roxy had been her life for so long, how could she go on without her?

"Ronnie?" Came the small voice of Danielle, "Let's go home, yeah?"

She turned, facing her daughter. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure what she was supposed to do. She didn't want to abandon Roxy, yet somewhere deep down she knew her sister was gone.

"I can't." Was her response, her eyes focussed on something in the distance that Danielle couldn't see. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Danielle struggled to stand up. Instead of following her, Ronnie just sat there, clinging to Danielle's legs.

"Come on, you can't sit here all night, it's freezing. Do you...do you want to say goodbye to Roxy before they take her?" Danielle said, giving the paramedics a pleading look.

"No. I don't want to say goodbye, I don't want them to take her away, and I don't want her to be gone. We were sitting here, watching her slip away, and I didn't say half the things I should have. I...yeah. Yeah, I need to talk to her." Ronnie said, letting Danielle pull her up. She gave her daughter's hand a squeeze, before staggering towards the ambulance. She looked at the faces of the paramedics. They were giving her pitiful smiles, that would normally anger her beyond belief, yet now she smiled back.

She climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat on a little fold-out seat beside the bed. She extended her hand, towards the lump underneath the sheet, and then quickly snapped it back. Roxy was gone, what was the point in talking to her now?

"I'm sorry, Rox. I'm sorry." She whispered, before climbing back out, fighting her tears back, and going straight to Danielle. She grabbed her daughter's hand, a little more aggressively than she'd intended, and pulled her towards the flat. Danielle let out a whimper of protest, and Ronnie stopped, realising she'd hurt her. She looked at Danielle, and confusion was clouding her face. Ronnie gave her a little smile and nod, letting Danielle carry on towards the flat.

---well there we go! Can't promise I'll always update so quickly, have major uni stress just now, but I'll try! Just wanted to say thanks for reading, makes me :) Cheers, Fiona x


	3. Chapter 3

---Hey! I'm sorry for killing Roxy, as I said I love her to bits, but I don't think this story would work if she lived. Don't worry though, she won't be forgotten :) Anyhoo, have somehow managed to come up with another chapter for this instead of studying. Oops. Hope you enjoy!

Ronnie fumbled with her keys, struggling to put the right one in the lock. Danielle watched intently for a few seconds, not used to seeing her mother so flustered, before closing her hand over Ronnie's and guiding the key into the door. Ronnie didn't even acknowledge the contact, just pushing open the door and strolling inside; still clutching Danielle's other hand.

They stood in the hall for a few minutes, before Danielle opened her mouth to say something. Ronnie abruptly dropped Danielle's hand, as though it was burning her, and ran into the bathroom. Danielle was left standing there. She closed her mouth again and sighed. She had no idea how to deal with this. Roxy was the only one who knew what to say to Ronnie when she was like this, and she was gone. Danielle realised she was in over her head, she didn't even know Ronnie, not really, how was she going to help her through this, when they couldn't even have a conversation?

She decided to give Ronnie a few minutes, in case she actually just had to pee. Ten minutes later, she was starting to worry. There was no sound in the flat, she couldn't hear Ronnie moving, or crying. She felt so awkward, as if she wasn't supposed to be there.

"Ronnie?" She tried, making her way over to the door slowly and hovering behind it. She moved as if to knock a few times, each time bottling out. Why would Ronnie want to see her?

"Mum?" Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Danielle decided. She heard movement behind the door, then the horrible sounds of Ronnie throwing up into the toilet. It made Danielle feel sick too. She couldn't bear seeing Ronnie in so much pain, and it was all her fault. She felt a lump building in her throat. This was all her fault, if she hadn't been stupid enough to run out in front of a car she would still have an aunt, Ronnie would still have a sister, and little Amy would still have a mum.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She sobbed, leaning back against the door and sliding down it. She leant her head on her knees, soaking her jeans with her tears.

Ronnie lifted her head out of her hands, listening to her daughter sobbing outside the door. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, what on earth did she have to be sorry for? All she'd done all night was try to help Ronnie, and she'd thrown it all back in Danielle's face. A few more tears rolled down Ronnie's cheeks as she thought of the way she'd treated Danielle, not just that night, but the whole time she'd been in Walford. If anyone should be sorry it should be Ronnie. Who'd want a mother like her?

"Danielle?" Ronnie asked, listening to the sobs subside. "The door's not locked."

Danielle slowly uncurled herself, rubbing at her sore, red eyes. She didn't know what that meant. Should she go in? Would that just make things worse? All the things Ronnie had said earlier were rolling around in her head. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that Ronnie didn't mean them, at the time Danielle was just some crazy girl with a weird obsession. A freak.

She jumped when she heard Ronnie tap the door.

"Danielle? You still there?" Came Ronnie's voice, it sounded thick with tears. Danielle slowly turned around, still sitting on the floor, and pulled the door open.

Ronnie and Danielle sat staring at each other for a good few minutes, neither really wanting to be the one to make the first move. Ronnie sighed; she didn't want it to be like this. When she dreamt of meeting her daughter for the first time she always thought of, well a few tears, lots of hugs, and lots of 'I love you'-s. She didn't imagine her dad lying to her, losing her sister and being unable to look her little girl in the eye. She was startled and pulled from her thoughts when Danielle's fingers curled themselves around her own. The girl was still staring at her feet, but it was enough to force Ronnie into reacting.

"You ok?" She asked, sliding down off the edge of the bath and kneeling in front of Danielle. She brushed her daughter's blood-stained cheek with the back of her hand. In all the commotion with Roxy she'd forgotten that Danielle had been hurt too. What kind of mother was she?

"Yeah...a bit sore, but I'll be fine. Are you ok?" Danielle replied, her quiet voice wavering, full of tears.

"Me? I'm fine, absolutely fine." Ronnie said, with a small smile. Danielle frowned at it. It seemed...empty now. Danielle had always been able to extract smiles from Ronnie, genuine, beautiful ones, not the fake ones everyone else got. It made Danielle sad to think they were gone now. They really were beautiful.

"You were sick." She stated bluntly, tightening her grip on her mother's hand. She was almost afraid to hear the answers. She didn't want any more lies, but the truth was scary.

"Yeah...yeah I was. Just the shock I think. Do you want to go to the hospital, get yourself checked out? You took a bit of a knock." Ronnie suggested kindly, running her fingers through her daughter's golden blonde hair. She kept trying to catch Danielle's eye, but she was stubbornly looking at the floor.

"Nothing compared to Roxy." Danielle said, killing any hopeful mood in the room. She let go of Ronnie's hand and sighed, loudly and deeply. "It's my fault. I'm sorry."

"Danielle? Look at me. Please?" Ronnie said, feeling more tears burst through to the surface. They rolled down her cheeks, as Danielle slowly looked up without moving her head. "This is not your fault. You are not to blame for any of this. Listen to me, sweetie. It'll all be ok, we'll figure it all out, just please, don't blame yourself, it's breaking my heart, baby."

"I'm..."

"Don't you dare say that word again." Ronnie said with a laugh. "Now come on, bed. Or do you want something to eat?"

"Uh, no, thanks. Bed would be good." Danielle said, a flicker of a smile appearing on her face.

"Right, um, the bed in the spare room should be made up? Or if you want to take mine? It's a double so you can stretch out." Ronnie asked, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

"No, spare room's fine. Thanks." Danielle stood up slowly, and held her hands out to Ronnie. Her mother smiled gently and took them, and Danielle pulled her up. Ronnie went to move past her when Danielle flung herself at her. She wrapped her arms firmly around her mum's back, burying her head under her mother's chin. Ronnie stood on the spot, surprised for a second, before responding warmly. She pulled Danielle closer, rubbing her back and gripping her waist tightly. She whispered words of comfort to her daughter, letting her know everything was going to be alright. Kissing her forehead softly, she released Danielle, leading her through to the spare room. She gave her a pair of pyjamas and let her get changed, before popping her head in the door to say goodnight.

"If you need anything I'm just next door. Night night, sweetie." Ronnie said, unable to stop a smile spreading across her face. She was tucking her little girl in for the night.

"Thanks, night...mum." Danielle was grinning too. Despite everything that had gone before, this was all she'd wanted ever since she could remember. Ronnie closed the door quietly, and Danielle flopped down onto the bed, suddenly exhausted now that the adrenaline had stopped flowing. She closed her eyes with a smile, for the first time in her life she felt like she was home.

Ronnie padded through to the kitchen, switching on the kettle. She glanced at the clock and was a little surprised that it was well after midnight. She jumped when the door buzzer rang out. In fear of it waking Danielle, she darted to the door, opening it quickly. She hesitated a little when she found Stacey on the other side.

"Hi, I just came to see if Danielle was ok; can I have a word with her?" Stacey asked, her voice slow and deep, the effects of the alcohol starting to take a turn for the worst.

"She's asleep." Ronnie said quickly, hoping to get rid of her. She couldn't deal with a slanging match now. She was starting to feel tired, her eyes were growing heavy and all she wanted was to curl up in bed.

"Right...well can I have a word with you then?" Ronnie nodded and stepped to the side, letting Stacey wander through to the living room. She plonked herself on the couch and turned around, looking at Ronnie expectantly.

"She loves you, you know. Despite everything you've said to her, she loves you. Don't ask me why." Stacey sniffed, watching Ronnie as she sat down opposite her. This seemed to have thrown Ronnie, who looked at Stacey as if she was speaking French. "If you ever hurt her, if you ever let her down, she won't do anything about it, she'll just take it to heart and move on. But I will. I'll hurt you for her. Right?"

"I don't know what to do, I dunno what to say. I really, really don't want to hurt her again. But it's the only thing I've ever done to her. She's my baby, and I keep hurting her." More tears sprang to Ronnie's eyes, shocking Stacey. The ice queen can cry, she thought.

"Look, you just have to be there for her. All she wants is to be there for you. Just don't let her down."

"I won't. I promise." Ronnie said firmly, locking eyes with Stacey, forming a silent agreement. Ronnie was glad Danielle had someone like Stacey in her life. Someone strong enough to come with what was to come. Stacey got up and let herself out of the flat without another word. Ronnie knew she'd be back.

Ronnie got up and walked to Danielle's room. She opened the door slightly and looked in on her daughter. She smiled at the sight. Danielle was so beautiful. She looked so peaceful, and for a second Ronnie wanted her to stay like that forever, if it meant she'd never get hurt again. But then, rather selfishly, Ronnie couldn't wait for her to wake up, so that she could get to know her baby.

"I promise, sweetheart. I'll never leave you again."

--- There we are! I wasn't sure about this chapter, it seems to me to be a bit long and slow, but this stuff kind of needed to be said now to make the rest of it make sense. Lol, if that makes any sense :P So sorry if it wasn't quite up to par. Thanks for reading, really means a lot to me. :) Fiona x


	4. Chapter 4

---Hi! Just want to say thanks for the reviews, it's great to know you guys are liking this so far :)

Ronnie jerked awake, the sound of brakes screeching out on the square pulling her from her dream. She shook her head a few times, clearing the cobwebs, before jumping out of bed. She tip-toed quickly through to Danielle's room, and opened the door a little. She breathed a little sigh of relief when she found her still there, sound asleep, curled up into a little ball

She tried to shake the last remnants of her dream from her mind. Images of Danielle lying cold and lifeless in her arms making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Now that she'd found her, she couldn't imagine a life without her daughter. More annoyingly, she couldn't really imagine a life with her daughter either. Things had been so strained between them the night before. She wasn't sure if it was just because things were so raw, or because that was the way things were going to be. She resolved to talk to Danielle as soon as she woke up. They had to get things out in the open, despite how painful it might be.

A knock on the door startled her. It was eight o'clock in the morning, who on earth would be over at this time? Her immediate thought was Roxy, making a lump form in her throat. Roxy would never visit her again. Her next thought was Archie, but surely even he couldn't be that stupid?

There was another loud knock, and Ronnie walked quickly towards it. She pulled it open slightly, and sighed, seeing Jack on the other side. He nodded a 'hello' and stepped past her into the flat.

"What do you want, Jack?" Ronnie asked, sounding deflated. She didn't want to be dealing with this.

"We need to talk. How's Danielle?" His tone was light, almost cheery. It made Ronnie want to thump him.

"Asleep. What do we need to talk about?" Jack could tell Ronnie wasn't up for games today. All he wanted to do was give her a hug, and tell her it was going to be ok, but he knew he couldn't. Not after everything.

"Amy. You're her godmother, right?"

"Well, not officially, she hasn't been christened yet. Why?"

"Um, I thought, maybe you'd want to look after her? You know, it's what Roxy would have wanted." Jack stuttered, he was used to Ronnie being cool with him, but not this cold. It put him on edge.

"She's your daughter."

"Well, yeah, but Roxy said..."

"Roxy was dying. People say all sorts of things when they're dying. You're her dad, she's better off with you. You were pretty desperate to spend more time with her before, what's changed?" Ronnie asked, hustling him back towards the door. She could hear Danielle moving about and didn't want her coming through into this.

"Nothing, I just thought..."

"Yeah, well, don't. There's no way she'd be better off with me as a mother, apparently I don't have it in me. I think that's the one thing he was right about."

"But Ron,"

"Just go, Jack. I can't deal with this. Go and look after your baby, and I'll go look after mine." She shut the door behind him and slowly released a breath. She turned around and jumped. Danielle had heard the argument, and gotten up. She was standing right behind her mother, a sad look on her face.

"What do you mean he was right?" Danielle asked, softly touching Ronnie's hand.

"I...we need to have a chat Danielle. Come sit down." Ronnie said. Danielle frowned. Whatever Ronnie wanted to talk about it didn't sound good. Her eyes widened slightly as Ronnie sat down, looking at the floor. She braced herself, waiting for Ronnie to tell her to get lost.

"Dani...I just, I'm sorry. What kind of mother am I? I'm so sorry, for everything..." Danielle hadn't been expecting that, relief flowed through her for a second, before the concern returned. Ronnie looked up, her eyes were full of tears. A small part of Danielle was glad she was so upset. Ronnie had been downright cruel to her for months, never mind that she didn't know who Danielle was, it's not an acceptable way to treat other people. A bigger part of her, however, was just as upset. She felt guilty for keeping things from her for so long. She knew that the reason for Ronnie being so unfeeling was that her heart was broken, broken because of her. How can you feel for other people when you can't feel anything yourself?

"I know. And it's ok, well, not ok, not yet, but it will be. It's in the past now. How about we just start from now, and wipe the slate clean? I can't promise to forgive you right now, but I'm sure I will at some point. You're my mum." Danielle said, her words rushing out of her mouth. She was glad that at least one of the conversations she'd imagined had come in handy. She gave Ronnie a sheepish smile, sitting down on the chair beside her. Ronnie smiled back, nodding her agreement.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Ronnie asked, lifting Danielle's chin with her fingers, forcing her daughter to look her in the eye.

"I don't know..."She said with a laugh, "I just, I thought it'd be easier if we got to know each other first. I thought if you liked me it'd be easier. I dunno! Just, I was being stupid, I guess. Then I told Archie...he promised me he'd tell you. Then he told me he had, and I was so excited. Then, he told me you didn't want to know me. And then...I got a bit fed up, and yesterday happened." Danielle smiled again, bowing her head a little.

Ronnie smiled slightly, trying to hide her disgust. As if she needed another reason to hate that man. It certainly made a few things from the day before make sense. She brushed Danielle's cheek with the tips of her fingers, still slightly in awe of the young woman her baby had turned into.

"Oh..." Ronnie said, suddenly not sure what to say to that. They sat fidgeting for a few seconds, before Ronnie stood up. She made her way into the kitchen and silently went about making breakfast. She walked back over to Danielle, who was flicking through TV channels and handed her a plate of toast. She kissed her daughter's forehead, before recoiling in shock. There was a huge, purplish-blue bruise covering the side of Danielle's face.

Danielle looked up at her questioningly, before bringing a hand to the spot Ronnie was staring at. She prodded her cheek gingerly and winced.

"You want to go to the doctor about that?" Ronnie asked, tucking a few strands of hair out the way to get a better look.

"Um, no, no it's ok. Just a bruise, I'll be fine." Danielle said, giving her best smile.

"Ok...listen, I'm gonna have a shower and go over to the Vic for a bit, see how Aunty Peg is. You want anything while I'm out?" Ronnie asked, stepping back a little, with her eyes still fixed on the bruise.

"Um...maybe some of my clothes from the B & B?" Danielle said, munching happily on her toast.

"Sure. I won't be long."

After a quick shower, Ronnie said her goodbyes and stepped out into the street. The cold hit her and she wrapped her jacket tightly around herself. She made her way across the road towards the Vic, but was distracted by the sound of a baby crying. Turning her head in its direction, she saw Jack struggling with Amy. She was absolutely howling, and he was desperately rocking her pram backwards and forwards. Ronnie smiled gently, it was sweet really, before deciding to go and help.

Without a word to Jack, she picked Amy up and held her close, bouncing her up and down slightly. After a few minutes she placed a calm and contented baby back in the pram and pulled the blankets up around her. She looked at Jack, whose expression was one of utter disbelief.

"How did you do that? I've been trying for hours." He said, sounding more than a little annoyed.

"Don't worry about it, it'll just take her a while to get used to you, and you'll have to get used to her. Jack...if you ever want a break, you know, if it gets too much, I don't mind keeping an eye on her for a couple of hours." Ronnie said hesitantly. Despite what she'd said earlier, she found herself seeing Roxy's face every time she looked at Amy, and she needed that right now.

"Uh, thanks. Yeah, might take you up on that one. Listen, Ron, don't be so hard on yourself. I don't think that man even knows what the truth is. You're gonna be a great mum. Danielle's a lucky girl." Jack smiled.

"Oh, I dunno. I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one. She's a great girl, and despite everything she still wants me around. I'm very lucky to have her." Ronnie said, a little smile creeping back into her voice at his words. Maybe she could be a good mum after all?

"Yeah, she seems really...nice. Lovely, even. Well, we better get going. Take care, yeah?" Jack leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. It caught her off guard. She mumbled a goodbye and continued towards the Vic, putting a hand over the spot his lips had touched, grinning from ear to ear. Maybe even the darkest clouds have a silver lining after all?

---Oooh, Ronnie and Jack up a tree? Dunno, haven't decided yet lol. Just to let you guys know, Roxy's funeral's coming up soon, but before that, Archie makes a re-appearance, causing havoc, as usual. Thanks for reading, Fiona x


	5. Chapter 5

---Hiya! Thanks for the reviews :) here's a little bit more for you

It had been a few days since Ronnie and Jack's meeting on the square, and so far Ronnie had managed to avoid him. She had no idea what she'd say to him. Was the kiss a friendly one, or did it mean more? And even if it did, he slept with her sister. As gorgeous as Amy was, it was unforgiveable.

It was the least of her worries at the moment, as she and Danielle tried to settle into a routine. Ronnie had taken her over to the Vic and showed her the ropes behind the bar. She was a natural, and would have made her Auntie Roxy very proud. Peggy had gone to stay with Aunt Sal, understandable really, but Phil and Ben had been great with her, really welcoming her into the family.

And the thing Ronnie was most grateful for was that Archie had seemingly disappeared without a trace. She refused to relax about it though, and was on edge every time Danielle left the flat on her own.

She looked over at her daughter, who sitting at Jack's desk, her face a picture of concentration as she sorted through the club's books. Ronnie smiled a little; it was like looking in a mirror.

"Mum, what do I do with this one?" Danielle asked, waving a sheet of numbers in Ronnie's direction. Her breath caught in her throat. Danielle had just called her mum, for the first time. She grinned, and then quickly tried to soften her expression. She didn't want it to be a big deal to Danielle, it had seemed completely natural.

"Um, what is it?" She asked, still trying to fight the smile that was creeping onto her face.

"Dunno, can't read Jack's writing." Danielle replied, her head still buried in the mountain of paper on the desk she claimed was organised.

"Um, just leave it then, he can sort it when he feels like turning up." Ronnie said, a little distracted. She'd found a picture in the drawer beside her desk. It was of her and Roxy, taken a couple of years before in Ibiza. She stoked Roxy's cheek gently, feeling her eyes burn with tears.

"Yeah, where has he been? I haven't seen him in days." Danielle said, completely oblivious to what Ronnie had found. When Ronnie didn't reply, Danielle looked up, and felt her heart twinge at the tears rolling down her mother's cheeks. "What's wrong?"

A ghost of a smile formed on Ronnie's lips at Danielle's concern. She lifted her head and wiped away her tears. Sniffing loudly, she showed Danielle the picture.

"I still can't believe she's gone. I keep expecting her to walk through the door looking for a fight. Silly, eh?" Ronnie said, checking her eye make-up in the mirror.

"It's not silly. When my, uh, mum died, about two weeks later I slept in and started moaning to my dad that she hadn't woken me up and I was gonna be late for school." Danielle said, giving Ronnie an encouraging smile. Ronnie smiled back, a little more strongly, and took a deep breath.

"Listen, Dani, how would you feel about moving the rest of your stuff into the flat? It seems silly you paying for the room at the B&B and sleeping at mine." Ronnie asked, her nervousness returning. She suddenly regretted asking like that, she didn't want to rush her. She'd made sure that so far everything was on Danielle's terms, Ronnie owed her that much.

"Um...I dunno...can I think about it? It's just, I just moved out of my parent's home, you know? Can I let you know tonight?" Danielle stuttered, completely thrown by Ronnie's suggestion. Sure, they'd been getting on great the last couple of days, but she wanted to take things slowly. She could still hear Ronnie's voice that night, 'who would want a daughter like you?'. She knew it was going to take a while to trust her, and she really didn't want to rush it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Forget it; I shouldn't have asked in the first place, I don't want to rush anything..." Ronnie began, shaking her head and giving Danielle an apologetic smile. She started fidgeting with bits of paper, and kept looking at the door, clearly wanting to escape the tense room.

"No...I want to, I do, it's just...I think we need to talk first. Properly." Danielle suggested, slowly standing up and making her way over to her mother. She sat on the edge of Ronnie's desk and placed her hand over Ronnie's.

"Yeah...I guess we can't avoid things forever, hey?" Ronnie said softly, tracing circles on the back of Danielle's hand. She knew what was coming. The things she'd said to Danielle, the horrible things she'd done to her were going to be dragged up. She still had no idea how Danielle felt about it all. She did know, however, that she was consumed by guilt. Every time she looked at her daughter she felt sick at the way she'd treated her. She'd tried to reason with herself, telling herself that she didn't know who Danielle was, but that wasn't an excuse.

"Nope. So tonight, I'll cook and get a film in?" Danielle said, back to being her normal cheery self. She smiled warmly at Ronnie, before getting up and grabbing her jacket. "Well, as much fun as alphabetising is, do you mind if I go and see Stacey for a bit?"

"Course not, sweetie. I think I'll go round to the Vic for a little while after this, Peggy was supposed to come back today." Ronnie said, shuffling bits of paper and getting back to work.

"Ok...but you have to be back by...6? Not before and not after, 6." Danielle said heading out the door. Ronnie smirked a little at her tone, she sounded just like Roxy.

"Sure, see you then." Ronnie laughed. She sighed gently, feeling more content than she had since she was fourteen years old.

Once outside a frown replaced Danielle's smile. She had no idea whether she wanted to move in or not, and wasn't sure how long she could stall Ronnie. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with her mother; on the contrary, it was all she wanted. She just couldn't shake the feeling she was betraying her mum and dad. After all, they were the ones who brought her up, who made her the person she was. Instead of going to Stacey's, she headed back towards the flat.

She pulled the spare key out of her pocket and let herself in, not noticing the man watching her from the window of a flat on the other side of the road.

She pulled out her phone and flicked through the numbers until she came to what she was looking for. 'Home'. After a few seconds deciding on what to say, she pressed the call button.

"Hello?" Came the welsh tones of her dad.

"Hiya dad! How are you?" She asked brightly, feeling a little relieved just hearing his voice.

"Oh, hello Dani. I'm alright, in a bit of a rush actually, how are you getting on?" She could hear him bashing about in the background; she laughed a little, and then asked him why he was rushing.

"Oh, Gareth and Claire are coming round for dinner with her parents, bit of a family get together. Sorry, Dan, I'm gonna have to go love. I'll talk to you soon though? Bye"

"Bye..." Danielle said quietly. They were having a family get together without her. It just made her even more confused. She felt like crying. Where did she belong? With the father who was letting her go, or with the mother who had promised to be there forever?

Ronnie threw the last of the files into the drawer and sighed loudly. The last three hours were a complete waste of time without Jack. She'd put her feelings aside and called him a few times, but he didn't pick up. She found it odd; his phone was usually welded to his arm.

She decided she'd pop in, just to see Amy, she told herself. She pulled her coat on and turned the lights off. With one last check to make sure things were sorted for Dawn opening up later, she climbed the stairs and walked out the door, into the rain.

She tucked her hair into her jacket and ran across the square, glancing quickly up at her window. She saw the light on and smiled, she was quite looking forward to spending an evening in with her little girl. She stopped when she saw a grey-haired man heading towards her flat. Her smile turned to a look of horror when he turned around. She hid herself behind a building and pulled her phone out.

"Danielle?" She said as soon as her daughter picked up.

"Oh, hi, everything ok?"

"Not really...just, stay inside."

"What?" Danielle said, a confused laugh in her voice.

"Please. I'll be up in a minute."

She started running towards the man, breathing heavily. She caught up and skidded in front of him. He gave her a nod of recognition and tried to continue on his way.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ronnie asked, her voice a strangled shriek. She noticed the curtains twitch and Danielle looking out of the window.

"To go and see how my grand-daughter is. Is there something wrong, sweetheart?" He said, as if it were perfectly normal, as if nothing was wrong.

"You...you stay away from her. You mean nothing to her, or me. Just stay away, you hear me? You go within a mile of my family, I'll kill you." Ronnie said coldly, backing slowly towards the door.

"Alright, V." He laughed, lifting his hands and walking away. "Speaking of the family, how's Peggy?"

"You're disgusting." Ronnie spat, edging in the door and locking it behind her. She let out a shaky breath before continuing upstairs. Stepping inside the flat, she felt her stomach plummet.

"Oh, Danielle..."

--- Trying really hard to keep everybody in character, not sure how well that's working out? So, yeah, a bit of a cliff hanger there, sorry! Trying to get a fair bit of R & D bonding in, but it's distracting me from the plot lol, it's just too cute! Thanks very much for reading, Fiona x


	6. Chapter 6

---Hi guys! Thanks for being so supportive in your reviews, I really appreciate it :) Glad to know you're enjoying the story so far

Ronnie closed the door softly behind her and shook her head.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked gently, sitting beside Danielle, on the floor, against the wall. She took a bottle of vodka out of her daughter's hands, and judged that she must have drunk about three-quarters. Danielle's head lolled onto her shoulder and she let out a few sobs. "Come on, tell me?"

"Nobody wants me." Danielle sighed dramatically, trying desperately to grab the bottle from Ronnie.

"Don't be silly, of course you're wanted. A lot of people care about you, Danielle, including me. What brought all this on?" Ronnie asked, trying desperately to stop her own tears. She couldn't bear seeing her baby so upset.

"My dad...he doesn't care anymore. He's got his real son, no need for me now. And then you...all I've ever done is hurt you...you and your dad were getting on fine before I came along...why would you want a daughter like me? Look at me, I'm nothing like you! I'm just a...just a freak." She finished with a laugh, which soon dissolved into tears. Ronnie was at a loss for words. She had no idea how to comfort the lost little girl in front of her. She kissed Danielle's hair and sighed. She stood up, pulling a wobbly Danielle with her and made her way through to the living room.

"Danielle...sweetheart, listen to me, listen. Of course I want you; you're everything I've been dreaming of for nearly twenty years. And I'm glad you're not like me, you're kind, and thoughtful, and beautiful...and as for Archie, I'm glad you reminded me how...disgusting he really is." Ronnie said, tucking a strand of Danielle's fringe out of her eye. "Ok? Now what's all this about your dad?"

"Him and Gareth, they're having a big family dinner, they didn't even think to call me! I haven't had a proper conversation with him since...since the abortion. Can I tell you a secret?" Danielle slurred, moving closer to Ronnie to whisper in her ear. Ronnie could smell the vodka on her breath and smiled, if she wasn't so concerned she'd find the state her daughter was in quite funny.

"I don't think he loves me anymore." Danielle hissed, her eyes widening as she said the words for the first time.

"Oh, sweetie, that's not true. He's your dad."

"How do you know? It's not like your dad's the best example." Danielle said with a shrug. Ronnie let out a little laugh, and then sighed.

"I know that...but I've met your dad, remember? And I could see that he loves you. He cares for you so much, Danielle." Ronnie said, just wanting to give her a cuddle and tell her everything would be ok. But that would be lying, and she didn't think she could stand any more lies.

"But...never mind. I don't wanna talk about him anymore...I...have you forgiven me? You know, for keeping it from you?" Danielle asked suddenly, reaching up and touching Ronnie's cheek.

"What? Sweetie, of course I have...I did the second I found out. I understand, I love you...come on, baby." Ronnie said, getting a little frustrated. She wished Danielle would start believing in herself a little more, and stop worrying so much about other people. It would drive her mad.

"Can I tell you another secret?"

"Go on then..."

"I can't forgive you."

Archie slammed the door, making Janine jump. He pulled his jacket off and plonked himself onto a chair, putting his head in his hands.

"Peggy's gone." He snarled, throwing his phone onto the table.

"Yeah, I told you that. Listen, we need to talk." Janine stuttered, knowing enough about Archie Mitchell to be scared.

"About what? Not everything in this world revolves around you, Janine." He spat, looking up at her with a frown.

"About me going to jail, that's what. What if the police don't believe it's an accident?" She whimpered, standing up to pace around the kitchen. Archie laughed slightly, before pulling her down to his level.

"You killed my daughter; I want you to rot for what you've done." He said, letting her go and putting his jacket back on.

"Then, why are you here?" Janine cried.

"I won't be for much longer." He said, slamming the door.

"Dan...Danielle...I'm not expecting you to, not right now. The things I did, the things I said, were horrible...I can't forgive myself. But I just want you to know that I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. If I'd known who you were, maybe everything would be different, but let's not do that. Let's not do the 'what if's'. I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again, ok? That's all that matters, right?" Ronnie said, lifting Danielle's chin so she could look into her eyes. "We'll figure it all out; we just need a bit of time, that's all. And time is all we've got."

"I'm sorry..." Danielle mumbled, leaning into Ronnie, tucking her head under her mother's chin. A few tears leaked out, and she grasped Ronnie's hand.

"What for?" She laughed, wrapping her arms around her little girl, holding her tightly.

"Making you sad. I always make you sad." Danielle said glumly, putting her other arm around Ronnie's back, gripping her jacket.

"Sweetie, no you don't. You have made me the happiest person in the world."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Ronnie said, rubbing Danielle's back gently. "Right...come on you, bed."

"Oh, but, dinner!" Danielle said, her eyes wide in panic. Ronnie laughed slightly, and hauled Danielle up, supporting her with an arm around her shoulders.

"It was a lovely thought, sweetie, but I don't think you're in any fit state to cook now." Ronnie giggled, taking Danielle through to her room. She lay her on the bed gently and pulled the covers over her. Running her fingers through her hair, she kissed her forehead gently, and said goodnight. She was trying to close the door quietly when Danielle's voice piped up.

"Mum? Please don't go..."

Ronnie smiled, taking her shoes and jacket off. She slid into bed beside Danielle and pulled her close. She pressed a kiss onto her daughter's cheek, as Danielle mumbled in her sleep.

"Love you, mum."

---Righty, so that was a bit cheesy lol, but I love it :P Wonder what Archie's up to? Hmm...Thanks for reading, Fiona x


	7. Chapter 7

---Hiya! Thanks for the reviews, seems we all love a bit of cheddar! Little bit more in this chapter for you :)

Danielle opened her eyes slowly, squinting as the sun shone through the curtains. Her head was banging. She could feel Ronnie's soft breath on the back of her neck and smiled. Though the events of the previous night were a little fuzzy, she could remember most of what was said, and she was glad it was all out in the open. She relaxed a little, knowing that despite what she'd said, Ronnie was still there.

"Danielle? You awake?" Ronnie whispered, running her fingers up and down Danielle's arm. Danielle turned around, jumping in fright when she saw Ronnie's blue eyes staring back at her.

"Hi..." Danielle said, feeling a little uncomfortable at the close proximity. Ronnie's arms were still locked around her, as if she'd never let go.

"Morning...you hungry?" Ronnie asked, her own stomach rumbling. "What's your cure?"

"My what?"

"Your hangover cure. I suppose you're feeling a bit rough?" Ronnie said with a laugh, reaching up and tucking a strand of Danielle's hair behind her ear. Danielle giggled a little. "I could do you a fry up, or whatever...?"

"Um...I feel a bit sick, actually..." Danielle mumbled, bringing a hand to her head, rubbing her eyes. Her voice was rough and scratchy, a consequence of too much vodka and no mixers.

"Toast and tea? I promise it'll make you feel better." Ronnie said, rolling out of the bed. "Always worked for Rox..." She looked at the floor, then glanced back up, a small smile on her face. "Stay here, I'll bring it through."

"You sure? I'll help..."

"You'll stay there, let me look after you!" Ronnie laughed.

Jack felt like crying. He'd been up for hours, trying desperately to please his daughter, although it seemed he wasn't her favourite person. He lifted her out of the cot and walked through to the living room, dancing about, making faces, funny voices, the lot. And still she screamed. He sat down on the couch and tried her with a bottle again, the fourth of the morning. She spat it out and continued crying. Her little face was starting to turn red.

He couldn't understand. She was fed, changed, played with, and still being completely unreasonable. He couldn't remember it ever being this hard with Penny, but then again, he wasn't around much when she was this age, worked always seemed a little bit more important. He picked up his phone and scrolled through the numbers, stopping on 'Ronnie'. He hesitated, before pressing call.

Ronnie carried the tray carefully through to the bedroom and placed beside Danielle, who was now fast asleep. She chuckled, stroking her daughter's cheek softly. She could hear her phone ringing in the living room; she was going to leave it until Danielle stirred. She leapt up and grabbed it.

"What?" She hissed, closing the bedroom door.

"Ronnie?" Jack said, though she could barely hear him over the sound of Amy crying.

"Oh...hi, what do you want?" Ronnie asked, feeling a tiny bit sorry for him, Amy was really going for it.

"Uh...can you come...can you come over to the club later? There are a few things you need to sign." Jack said, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

"Um, sure, what time? I'm just up."

"Lucky you...say about one?" Jack asked, almost pleadingly.

"Alright, listen, Jack, is everything ok?"

"It's fine, fine. Gotta go, see you then." With that he hung up.

Ronnie shook her head; Jack didn't sound himself at all. She went back through to Danielle's room to find her awake once again, staring at the toast.

"You eat it, not the other way round." She said, making Danielle jump.

"What?"

"The way you're looking at that you'd think it'd kill you." Ronnie said, sitting down on the bed and picking up her slice.

"Oh...I'm not really hungry, that's all."

"I don't care, eat it." Ronnie said, putting on her most authoritative voice.

"But..."

"It'll make you feel better, honestly. Just one little piece? I cut it into triangles and everything..." Ronnie said, sticking out her bottom lip. It got the desired response, as Danielle burst out laughing and agreed, gingerly nibbling on the smallest bit of toast on the plate. When she was satisfied Danielle had eaten enough, she stood up, taking everything back to the kitchen.

"Dani?" She called through, "I'm gonna have to go to the club for a little bit, Jack wants me to look over a few things, that ok?"

"Yeah, course, can I talk to you first?" Danielle shouted back, not moving from her spot on the bed.

"Sure, everything ok?" Ronnie said, holding her breath nervously.

"Yep, have a shower first...I need to...build myself up to it." Danielle replied with a laugh. Just lifting her head off the pillow hurt.

Ronnie smiled; maybe things would turn out ok?

"Phil?" Came the unmistakable voice of Peggy Mitchell. Phil jumped up and headed downstairs, a little surprised. She told him she'd decided to stay at Aunt Sal's a little longer and wasn't due back for another week.

"Mum? What you doing back so soon?" He asked, picking up her ridiculously heavy case and lugging it up the stairs.

"It's not right for me to be away, not when the family needs me. How's Ronnie?" She asked, giving an excited Ben a hug.

"Uh, dunno. Haven't really seen much of her." Phil replied, sitting back down in front of his breakfast.

"Oh...right. I'll go round there later then. How's Amy? Jack getting on alright?"

"Um...think so."

"What do you mean you think so? I asked you to keep an eye on him!"

Archie could hear Peggy's screeching from outside. He knew she'd be back sooner rather than later. He knew he couldn't just barge in and see her; he'd have to wait until Phil was out of the way. He was good at waiting.

Ronnie got ready quickly, eager to hear what Danielle had to say. She was putting on her makeup when Danielle wandered slowly, almost cautiously, into her room and sat on the bed. Ronnie smiled warmly at her and continued, knowing Danielle would begin in her own time.

"I'm sorry, for last night. We were supposed to have dinner...and I think I drank all your alcohol." Danielle said, a sheepish smile passing across her features.

"It's ok, sweetie. We can have dinner another time. And as for the alcohol, what do you mean all of it? More than just the vodka?" Ronnie asked, a little incredulous.

"Em, yeah, I was capable of cleaning up after myself at that point...couple of bottles of wine later and I was a bit of a mess..." Danielle laughed nervously.

"Right...it doesn't matter, sweetie. At least we talked, got everything out in the open?" Ronnie said, sitting down next to Danielle.

"Yup, that was kind of what I wanted to talk about...so, I've had a bit of a think, and the answer's yes." At Ronnie's confused look she explained, "I'd love to come and live here."

"Are you sure...I mean, that's great, I'm really pleased, but I don't want to push you or anything..." Ronnie said, nervously.

"I'm really sure. And you're not, I want this, I really do." Danielle said, a grin spreading across her face.

"Right then...I suppose you'll be needing help moving your stuff across?" Ronnie asked, a matching smile on her lips. "But it'll have to be later, I was supposed to meet Jack five minutes ago."

"Ok...will you be long?"

"Mm...dunno, why?"

"I was gonna have another go at cooking, if that's ok?" Danielle asked, looking at Ronnie hopefully.

"Yeah, I'd love that. Right, give me a call when you're ready then? See you soon." Ronnie said, kissing Danielle's cheek and putting her jacket on.

"Sure, see you later." Danielle replied with a broad smile.

Once outside, Ronnie pulled out her phone. She dialled Stacey's number, which she'd found on Danielle's phone, and walked towards the club, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Stacey? Hi, it's Ronnie...can you, um, can you do me a favour?" Ronnie asked, a little nervously, she didn't want Stacey jumping to any conclusion.

"What? Is there something wrong with Danielle?" Stacey shot back, her voice rising with every word.

"I think she might have had an argument with her dad, she's a bit upset. I was wondering if you could talk to her? She won't tell me much..." Ronnie said, feeling slightly guilty that she hadn't really tried to talk to her daughter about it, but it was a can of worms she really didn't want to open.

"Right...yeah, she up? I can head round now if you want?" Stacey said, sounding a little shocked. Ronnie Mitchell was asking for help, her help. She couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks, Stacey." Ronnie said, hanging up and opening the club's door. She was greeted by Amy's wails.

"Jack?"

"Office." Came the short-tempered reply. Ronnie carefully made her way through, not sure what she'd find.

When she opened the door, she had to laugh. Jack was prancing round the room, singing to Amy, who was sitting in her buggy clutching a small teddy, bawling her eyes out.

"Everything ok?" Ronnie asked, walking slowly over to her niece and lifting her up. The baby almost instantly calmed as Ronnie rocked her back and forth, whispering in her ear.

"Well, it is now. How do you do that? Nothing I try works. I think she hates me." Jack said, flopping into his chair and dropping his head into his hands.

"You just have to be calm; all she wants is a cuddle. And don't be silly, she's only a baby, how could she hate you?" Ronnie said, kissing Amy's head softly.

"She hates me! Honestly, Ron, she won't even look at me without crying. I dunno what I'm doing wrong. I feel like the worst dad in the world." Jack said, utterly deflated.

"You're a long way off that, trust me. Has she been like this the whole time? Have you slept at all?" Ronnie said, concerned despite herself. She was trying so hard to stop feeling anything for the man.

"Pretty much, and nope. She hasn't either. I dunno what to do...we can't go on like this." He sighed, looking up at her.

"Well...I'll have to run it past Danielle, but, we could take her, just for a while, until she settles?" Ronnie suggested, a little nervously. She wasn't really sure she could handle it, as much as she loved Amy, could she really deal with a permanent reminder of her sister?

---Little cheese there, but things are about to get serious...thanks for reading, Fiona x


	8. Chapter 8

---Hey! Thanks for all the reviews, glad to know you guys aren't getting bored with this, and thanks soo much for being so supportive, really means a lot :)

Stacey shoved her clothes on and ran out the door, ignoring her mother's protests about breakfast. She hurried over to Ronnie's flat and rang the bell impatiently. When there was no reply she called Danielle's mobile. On the twelfth ring she was about to give up, when Danielle answered.

"What?!" She cried gruffly, clearly not happy at being disturbed.

"Open the door, it's freezing out here."

"Stace, I'm not really in the mood right now..."

"Do I sound like I care? Open the door!"

"Fine." Danielle hung up the phone and trudged over to the door, her headache seeming a billion times worse. So much for her mother's miracle cure...

She opened it and Stacey burst through, a concerned frown on her face.

"You hung-over?" She asked, pushing past her friend and plonking herself down on the sofa.

"A bit. What are you doing here?" Danielle asked, sounding a little irritated. She didn't want to see anyone, she wasn't in the mood. At the shocked expression on Stacey's face she realised how horrible she was being. She plastered a fake smile on her face, "Sorry, sorry, I'm just not feeling well, of course I'm glad to see you."

Stacey smiled back, though her worry shone through. She looked at her friend suspiciously as she got a glass of water from the kitchen.

"Dan? Are you...you know, ok?" Stacey asked, hesitantly, not sure what to make of Danielle. She seemed...different.

"Me? I'm fine, are you?" Danielle asked with a small laugh.

"Yeah...I'm alright, just a bit worried. Everything ok with Ronnie?"

"Oh, Stace, it's brilliant! Honestly, everything I've ever wanted. You're wrong about her, you know. She's not this...ice queen. She's so nice; she's really taking care of me." Danielle gushed, her happiness obvious. Stacey just couldn't shake the feeling something really was wrong.

"Right...well that's a turn up for the books, eh? Bet she's gutted about Roxy though...?" Stacey asked, instantly noticing the change in Danielle's attitude.

"Well, yeah, they were really close. But to be honest, I expected her to be more...I dunno, emotional about it. She had a bit of cry that night, but nothing much since then...she says I remind her of Roxy sometimes." Danielle said, her tone now subdued, her previous excitement replaced quickly by her remaining guilt.

"Well, they were close, but then, what Roxy did with Jack...they didn't really seem very close after that. Maybe it's just gonna take a while to sink in?" Stacey suggested, as Danielle sat softly on the sofa beside her.

"Yeah...probably..." Danielle sighed, swallowing two tablets. At Stacey's questioning look, she sighed again, "More than a bit of a hangover..."

"Right...why were you drinking? You're not usually one for getting wrecked on a school night." Stacey said, smirking a little, trying to look Danielle in the eye.

"I was...I was a bit upset, ok?"

"About what? Thought you said everything was perfect?" Stacey replied, showing more concern than she'd intended.

"It is...it was...I dunno anymore. I called my dad, and he couldn't spare two minutes to talk to me. It was like he didn't even care, he was so wrapped up in his own life...doesn't matter. I don't need him anymore. If he doesn't want me, I certainly don't want him" Danielle said, matter-of-factly.

"What are you talking about? He's your dad! Of course you need him...why don't you call him again? Maybe he was busy or something?" Stacey suggested, completely bewildered by Danielle's behaviour. She reminded Stacey so much of Ronnie it was scary. She wasn't sure if it was just heat of the moment, or if there was something seriously wrong with Danielle.

"He was busy, busy having dinner with his family. It's not my family, not anymore. Ever since, ever since the abortion...he can't even look at me, Stace. But it doesn't matter, I don't care. I've got Ronnie, and you, and the Mitchells, and the Slaters...I don't need him and his pity anymore."

"Dan...seriously...this isn't like you...you've changed, she's changed you."

"Ronnie? Nah, she hasn't changed me, all she's done is make me realise who I really am. For so long I've been trying to be who people want me to be, but I've never tried just being me. She makes it ok, she loves me just the way I am." Danielle said, her voice rising in anger, though she wasn't really sure why she was so angry.

"But, Danielle, I know you, and I know this isn't you..." Stacey cried, gripping Danielle's shoulders and shaking her slightly. All she wanted to do was shake some sense into her best friend. "It's like...it's like you're turning into her! All cold and detached..."

"Don't you dare! You don't even know her! She isn't like that, and neither am I! You don't know me at all! All I've ever done is try to be someone you'd like...well, this is me, and if you don't like it...tough!" Danielle shouted, standing up and pushing Stacey away. "Get out. Get out! I don't want to see you ever again!" Danielle screamed abruptly, consumed with anger. She couldn't believe Stacey thought that about her, or Ronnie. It made her want to scream, how people never got to see the real side of her mother.

"But, Dan, don't do this!" Stacey said, trying to fight Danielle back as she shoved her towards the door. Danielle opened the door and pushed Stacey out. "Suit yourself, stupid cow!"

With that Stacey turned and fled down the stairs. Danielle slammed the door shut and leaned against it. She dissolved into tears, shocked to the core at her own actions. Stacey was right, when had she become so horrible?

Archie watched as Phil and Ben left the Vic. He darted through the side door and up the stairs, careful not to alert Tracey. He quietly made his way through to the living room and stuck his head through the door.

"Good morning, Peggy."

Ronnie and Jack struggled across the square with all of Amy's things. She hadn't realised how big a deal this was going to be. She pushed the buggy, which had various bags dangling off it. Jack walked slowly behind her carrying various boxes, balanced precariously on top of one another. They had said very little in the hour they were at Jack's place, making Ronnie even more tense.

"Ron? Fancy calling Danielle, see if she can give us a hand?" Jack puffed, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Uh...Sure..." She was distracted by an angry looking Stacey running past them, slamming her door shut. Ronnie frowned; it wasn't like them to argue. She realised Jack was staring at her, so pulled out her phone and dialled the flat's number. When the answering machine clicked on she panicked. She knew Danielle was in the flat, so why wasn't she picking up? She tried to calm herself with the thought that her daughter was probably in the shower. The other, less rational, thought entering her head was that Danielle was probably hurting. She was so sensitive, anything Stacey had said to upset her had probably sent her straight to the vodka bottle.

She let go of Amy's buggy, ignoring the shouting from Jack, and walked quickly towards the flat. She let herself in and ran up the stairs. She almost fell through the door, and stood open mouthed, as Danielle turned around. She was standing in the kitchen seemingly trying to work the oven.

"Oh, I said I'd call you..." Danielle said, her red eyes and cheeks not going unnoticed.

"I rang..." Ronnie said softly, not sure what to do. She knew Danielle was upset, but she didn't want to press the issue.

"Oh...sorry, I was drying my hair..." Danielle said, her eyes fixed on the ground. Ronnie got the impression that her daughter was lying to her. She didn't know what to do. When Roxy lied to her she knew exactly how to get the truth out of her, but with Danielle she had no idea. She decided to leave it for now, hoping Danielle would tell her in time.

"Right...well, I'm sorry to spring this on you, but I said we'd look after Amy for a bit...till she settles. Is that ok?" Danielle's beaming grin was the only answer she needed.

"Yeah! Course!" Danielle said, moving closer to Ronnie. Ronnie ran a hand down her cheek and cleared her throat.

"We'll talk later." She said firmly, looking Danielle in the eye until she nodded. "You up to giving us a hand with Amy's stuff? I had no idea such a little person needed so much! Then you can try and persuade Jack to help us with yours?"

Danielle nodded quickly, and leaned in giving Ronnie a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, mum."

---Not too happy with this chapter, maybe cause it seems a bit out of character? I dunno...but anyways, any tips in your reviews would really be appreciated :) thanks for reading, Fiona x


	9. Chapter 9

---Hiya, sorry I haven't updated in a few days, had quite a busy weekend. Hope you're not getting bored with this, I know there have been a couple of filler chapters, but things are starting to pick up pace now. Thanks for the reviews, they really encourage me to do more :)

Ronnie flopped down onto the couch, utterly exhausted, at three o'clock in the afternoon. Danielle was sitting on the floor playing with Amy, every so often looking up at her mother with a contented smile. Ronnie, however, was concerned. They still hadn't really spoken about what happened with her dad, and now her daughter was ignoring phone calls from Stacey. It wasn't like her, Ronnie had never seen her angry at someone like this, apart from herself, but that was understandable. She sighed and pushed herself onto the floor, leaning into Danielle and picking Amy up.

"I can't believe how much she looks like Roxy. Normally I can't see it, when kids are this young. When people say, 'oh, she's got her dad's nose' I can't see it at all. But every time I look at Amy...I see Roxy looking back." Ronnie whispered, cradling Amy gently and placing a soft kiss on her nose.

"I think it's her eyes." Danielle commented, brushing Ronnie's fringe back with her finger. Ronnie smiled and murmured an agreement, looking seriously at her daughter.

"They're just like yours, too. I thought you had your dad's eyes, but...I can't believe I didn't realise you're my Amy. My little girl." Ronnie said, a sad smile crossing her face.

"It doesn't matter, hey? We're here now and that's all that matters, right?" Danielle said, smiling at Ronnie hopefully.

"Is it?" Ronnie replied, Danielle's smile faltering slightly. Ronnie looked up at her and kissed her cheek, feeling like she was stepping onto some very thin ice. "What happened with Stacey?"

"Nothing." Danielle whispered, her eyes shooting to the floor.

"Danielle, please. No more lies..." Ronnie sighed, clutching at Danielle's hand.

"We just...we had an argument. It was stupid, and I didn't mean half the things I said, and now I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say to fix it." Danielle said, tears glazing her eyes.

"Just, just try. I don't want you to lose her, she's a good friend. You need to hang on to those..." Ronnie finished sadly, making Danielle's heart break a little. The only person Ronnie had ever had to rely on was Roxy, and now she had no one.

"I will...I just, some of the things she said, I dunno. They were so...horrible. I mean, I know she can be a bitch, that's just the way she is, but I didn't think she'd be like that about me, you know?" Danielle said, frowning a little. She took Amy from her mother and cuddled her close, trying to shake the sombre mood that was falling over her.

"I know, sweetie. But you have to try, ok? You said you said things you didn't mean, it's probably the same for her...just, call her, yeah? Or text? You just have to talk." Ronnie said, wrapping an arm around Danielle's shoulders. "So, I've, um, been meaning to ask. What happened with your dad?"

"Oh, um...just another silly argument..." Danielle said with a little laugh, as things suddenly clicked into place. "Did you, did you get Stacey to come round?"

"Guilty, I'm afraid...I just thought you'd rather talk to her than me." Ronnie laughed, seeing the disbelieving smile appear on Danielle's face.

"Aw...thanks." Danielle said, the smile growing stronger. She couldn't believe Ronnie would do that. If roles were reversed Danielle would have gone for the selfish option every time, and tried to speak to her herself.

"You sure? Sounds like things didn't quite go to plan..."

"Yep. Makes everything Stacey said not true, and therefore completely forgivable." Danielle said, her usual cheery nature shining through. It made Ronnie want to cry, she was so proud of her little girl. "So yeah, my dad. I called him, and he couldn't find a minute to talk to me. I know he was just busy, and I over-reacted...I just, I felt a bit lonely."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. Look, if you've changed your mind about staying here I completely understand, I didn't mean to upset you." Ronnie said, stroking Danielle's arm softly.

"I know, and you know what, there's no where I'd rather be."

Archie looked over at Peggy, who was sleeping beside him. He slowed the car to a stop outside a dingy looking block of flats overlooking the sea. He shook her gently, trying to wake her. Carrying her in would look a bit suspicious.

"Come on, Peggy. Time to wake up, love." He whispered, smiling as she jerked awake. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, as she tried to work out where she was.

"We're here now, look. Right by the sea, just like you wanted." Archie said, opening her door and climbing out. He jogged round to Peggy's side and opened her door. She hesitated, then stepped out, the look on his face warning her against trying anything. He took her arm and pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. He hadn't been to the flat for nearly nineteen years, but he'd employed someone to decorate, make the place presentable. He wanted everything to be perfect, after all, this was the start of his and Peggy's lives together.

Peggy walked slowly behind him, keeping quiet. She had no idea what to do. He had completely lost the plot, forcing her to take some kind of sleeping tablet that morning and forcing her into the car. He'd been talking to her the whole way, and she'd caught bits of it. He wanted them to be together, away from all the 'issues' of the square. She presumed he meant all his lies. He stopped outside a door on the third floor. He unlocked it, giving it a slight kick to open it. It was small, quite dark, painted entirely in white, and smelled slightly of damp. She knew instantly where she was. This was where he'd taken Ronnie, where Danielle was born. She wondered how they were. She hadn't spoken to them since she'd got back, and Phil hadn't really spoken to them much. Sensitivity really wasn't one of his strengths.

"Right...I know I didn't give you a chance to pack, so I took the liberty of getting you some clothes, go have a look." He smiled, guiding her towards a large wardrobe in the bedroom. She opened the door and sighed.

"They're lovely, dear." Archie smiled, as he walked over to the door. He locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Peggy sighed, praying that someone would find her quickly. She had no idea what Archie had planned.

---Oh dear, poor Peggy :( A little bit more Ronnie/Danielle cheese for you all, seeing as it went down so well last time lol. Sorry it's a bit short, really should be studying right now...exams in a couple of weeks and I'm screwed! As always, thanks for reading, Fiona x


	10. Chapter 10

---Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, they really speed this up lol. Here's a little bit more for you :)

Danielle sat alone in the flat, feeling a little awkward. Ronnie had taken Amy to the club to sort things out with Jack, leaving her on her own for the first time in days. She thought fleetingly about going over to the Vic to talk to Ben, but decided against it. He was devastated about Peggy going missing, and she realised she had no idea what to say. She didn't know the boy, she wasn't even sure quite how they were related. She just felt she had to do something. It was, after all, her fault.

A couple of days before Archie had called Phil, telling him he and Peggy were having a great honeymoon. Ronnie had lost it completely, disappearing off on her bike for hours. Danielle had been terrified, calling Ronnie over and over until she answered. Turned out she'd gone to Bournemouth to see if her dad had gone home. He hadn't, he'd actually sold the house a few months before.

Ronnie came back late that night, and just sat on her bed, clinging onto Danielle for dear life. Danielle didn't know what to say, or what to do. It was her fault Peggy was gone. If she hadn't been so stupidly loud about it all Peggy might never have found out. Roxy might not be dead, and Ronnie might be happy.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through the contacts, stopping first on Gareth, shaking her head, moving on to Home, hesitating a little longer, then eventually coming to Stacey. She realised that she couldn't call her either. It was like she had no idea how to talk to people anymore.

She went back up to Ronnie, her finger resting on the call button for a few seconds, before she threw the phone at the wall.

In the space of a week she'd lost all the people she loved, well, except one. Except Ronnie. She loved that they were together, it's all she'd wanted as long as she could remember. But she couldn't help hating her a little. If it wasn't for Ronnie, Danielle would still have all of those people. The things she'd said that night still fluttered around in her head, and every time Ronnie made a promise, she couldn't help but feel it was empty. Ronnie Mitchell didn't do love, she certainly didn't do forever.

The phone rang, jerking her from her thoughts. She walked slowly over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"V? That you?" The voice sent a shiver down her spine. She slammed the phone down and stood staring at it. Why would he call Ronnie? She hated him, and he hated her. It rang again, and swallowing down her fear, she picked it up, raising it to her ear with a shaking hand.

"Hello?"

"Veronica darlin', I think we got cut off. How are you sweetheart?" Danielle panicked. She didn't know whether to play along or reveal herself.

"I'm fine thanks, dad, how are you and Aunty Peg?" She asked, strengthening her voice and crossing her fingers.

"We're great love, really great. How are things at home? How's my little granddaughter?" Danielle nearly laughed.

"Everything's fine here, Amy's great, making as much noise as possible." Danielle said, trying to keep her tone light-hearted. "What have you two been getting up to then?"

"Oh, this and that, enjoying the weather, been to the beach a few times. Peggy's really enjoying herself. Sorry, sweetheart, I have to go, we're going out for lunch, talk to you soon."

"Oh, where are you going? Anywhere nice?" Danielle asked, hoping to get some kind of clue as to where they were, although, as the police and the rest of the Mitchell's had been unsuccessful she wasn't hopeful.

"Just some little place down the road, Tony's place, you remember?"

"Oh, sure, yeah. Well, you two have fun!" Danielle said, feeling herself starting to breathe normally again.

"Thanks, sweetheart, bye."

She put the phone down and let out a long, shaky breath. She grabbed her coat and bag and ran out of the flat, praying Ronnie would know who this Tony was.

Ronnie looked over at Amy, smiling warmly at the baby girl sleeping soundly in her pram. Jack had left a few minutes before, after they'd spent an hour sorting out what would happen with Amy. It was agreed that Ronnie and Danielle would hang onto her for a few more months, letting Jack see her as often as he wanted until he thought he could take over permanently.

Part of Ronnie wanted to keep Amy, and to be her mother, so that she and Danielle could share all the moments they should have. But then a bigger part of her decided that was selfish. She wanted what was best for Amy, and she didn't want Roxy to be erased from her life. She couldn't live with that.

She had her chance to be a mother now, with her Amy. Though, she couldn't feel it was too late. Danielle was all grown up, she didn't need a mummy. And that was all Ronnie wanted to be.

The door burst open, and a breathless Danielle was on the other side. Ronnie stood up, immediately expecting the worst.

"Dani? What's wrong?"

"Who's Tony? And where is his restaurant?" Danielle asked, all her words running together.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Your dad called, I think we can figure out where Peggy is!"

---So, I've realised, that I've kind of been skirting around Danielle's feelings about Ronnie, but I think I'm gonna keep all that for a pretty intense chapter coming up (Roxy's funeral, I think). Sorry if that was a bit short, got a little bit stuck as to where I want this to go, any suggestions are more than welcome :) Thanks for reading, Fiona x


	11. Chapter 11

---Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, glad to know you're enjoying this (and Dodger5339, thanks for giving this a chance, means a lot :)). Here's another little bit for you all...

Ronnie frowned as Danielle sat on the desk in front of her.

"Who's Tony? He has some kind of restaurant, near a beach?" Danielle asked, her words rushed and breathless.

"Um...I...have no idea. Why...how did you find this out?" Ronnie asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Your dad, he called. I sort of pretended to be you...but, I think he's lost it. Up here." Danielle said, pointing to her forehead.

"What do you mean?" Ronnie asked, worry starting to creep into her mind.

"Well, he was...happy. He said that he and Peggy were enjoying the weather, and spending time on the beach, and that she was having a great time. And, just, the way he was talking, to you I suppose, it was like nothing was wrong, like none of this had ever happened." Danielle said, widening her eyes at the possible implications of this. "Do you think Peggy's ok?"

"Yeah...yes. He wouldn't hurt her, he loves her. In his own twisted way. Now let me think, Tony? Near the beach...?" Ronnie leant her head on her hands as she concentrated. Danielle sat bouncing around, adrenaline pumping through her, willing her mother to think.

"Do you think it'll be in Bournemouth?" Danielle asked, trying to probe Ronnie's memories.

"No...I don't think so. Everybody knows him, hardly the best place to be hiding from the police." Ronnie said glumly. "And the lawyer said he's sold nearly all his other properties, apart from the house in Spain, and..."

"And?" Danielle cried, her outburst making Ronnie jump.

"The flat? Where, uh, where you were born." Ronnie replied quietly, slowly looking up to Danielle.

"Oh..." Danielle whispered, not sure how to respond. She reached out towards her mother and picked up her hand. She squeezed it tightly, before opening her mouth to speak. Ronnie got there first.

"Phil and Billy can go." Ronnie said firmly, squeezing Danielle's hand and letting it drop. Danielle stood in front of her, frowning slightly, not understanding. "I can't go back there, and I'm not sure I want to see him again. They'll deal with things." Ronnie stood up and pulled her jacket on.

"Ok...I get that. How...how will they 'deal with things'?" Danielle asked nervously, grasping for Ronnie's hand again. Ronnie grimaced and looked at the floor.

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies, sweetie." She said carefully, lifting her head to look Danielle in the eye. Danielle nodded slightly in reply, letting go of Ronnie's hand. She wasn't sure she wanted to be part of this family. Everything was resolved with violence and alcohol. "Do you mind taking Amy home? I'll go and tell them now. Jack might pop over."

Danielle agreed and raced out, leaving a bewildered Ronnie in the office. She ran out to catch them up, putting a hand on Danielle's shoulder.

"Sweetie, is something wrong?" Ronnie asked, the familiar nervous feeling falling over her. Danielle and her father were the only people who had ever made her feel that way.

"No, course not." Danielle said brightly, turning away from Ronnie and heading up the stairs.

"Dani?"

"It's just...I dunno...I thought maybe you'd want to ask him why. But if you don't, that's totally fine." Danielle replied with a smile. It faltered slightly when Ronnie didn't smile back.

"I just...how likely is it he'll tell the truth? I don't want any more lies. I don't deserve that, we don't deserve that." Ronnie sighed, twirling a strand of Danielle's hair around her finger.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Sorry." Danielle stammered, feeling a little stupid for suggesting it.

"Do you want to talk to him? If you do I'll...I'll come with you, if you want?" Ronnie said gently, stroking her daughter's cheek, before cupping her face.

"I dunno...maybe he'd finally tell the truth? It's not like he's got anything left to lose...can I think about it?" Danielle asked, her eyes widening as her nerves took over. She thought she was going to be sick. Ronnie just stood there, her face completely empty, yet so full of anger. Danielle wasn't sure if it was directed at her or at Archie. She hoped beyond hope it was at Archie.

"Sure..." Ronnie whispered, her eyes slowly starting to warm up again. Danielle blew out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "Of course. If you need to do that, then we will."

Peggy opened her eyes slowly, squinting at the light coming in through the small window. It was cold, she pulled the thin blanket around her shoulders as she sat up. Archie still wasn't back, he'd been gone hours. She got up and had a proper look around for the first time. There was no phone, and all the doors and windows were locked, that didn't surprise her. What did was a picture in one of the bedrooms. It was of a young Ronnie, holding a baby. Peggy smiled, she'd never seen Ronnie look as happy as she did in that picture. She took it out of the frame and put it in her pocket, hiding the empty frame in a drawer. She hoped Archie wouldn't notice.

She jumped as she heard a key in the lock. She raced back through to the small living room and lay back down in the position she was in when he left. She closed her eyes, hoping her would leave her alone if she was asleep. No such luck.

"Peggy, darlin'? Wakey wakey, it's lunchtime, sweetheart." Archie said softly, placing a hand on his wife's leg. He frowned when she flinched. "Come on, I know you're awake."

Peggy sighed and sat up, smiling faintly at him.

"I brought you some lunch." He said, putting a fish supper on the table in front of her.

"If you keep feeding me this stuff I'm not gonna fit through the door." Peggy said quietly, regretting it immediately.

"Well, I like my women to look healthy. That was the trouble with Glenda, all skin and bone, always worrying about what she was eating. Nup, not for me. You want something to drink?"

Ronnie said goodbye to Danielle and watched her and Amy disappear inside the flat. She smiled gently, knowing that they were hers now. She carried on over to the Vic, her frown returning. She couldn't believe what her dad had done, to her, to Danielle and to Peggy. She went through the side door, avoiding the packed pub, and made her way upstairs. She stopped as she heard Ben's whimpering. At first she thought he was crying over Peggy, but her stomach plummeted when she listened further.

"Dad, please wake up!"

She sprinted up the remaining stairs, and into the living room. Phil was dead to the world, passed out face down on the sofa. Ben ran over to her a flung his arms around her waist. She gave him a gentle squeeze back and crouched down to look at him.

"How long has he been like this?" She asked softly, rubbing his arm.

"Ever since I got up. He came home really drunk last night, he was shouting at Tracey and me..." He cried, fiddling with his glasses.

Ronnie frowned, she thought Phil had stopped drinking a long time ago. She stood up slowly and walked over to him.

"Ben, sweetie, go downstairs and keep Tracey company." She said firmly, looking up at him. He nodded slowly, but didn't move. "It'll be ok, I promise."

He nodded again, and turned to go downstairs. Ronnie shook Phil, gently at first, then more violently. He grunted a few times, swatting her hands away.

"Phil? Get up!" She shouted, shoving him off the couch.

"Oi!" He shouted back, floundering around on the floor trying to push himself up.

"For God's sake, Phil...what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

---Thanks for reading, and review if you can, I really want to improve my writing, so all constructive criticism welcome! :) Fiona xx


	12. Chapter 12

---Hiya! Thanks for the reviews, make me happy happy! Here's another little update for you...

Ronnie thumped down the stairs after having cleaned her cousin up and plonked a cup of coffee in front of him. A worried looking Ben was sitting on the bottom step and Ronnie sat down beside him.

"He'll be ok. Just give him a wide berth for a bit. Don't worry." She smiled, ruffling his hair. He smiled back and thanked her, before racing back up the stairs. She stood up slowly, still wondering what on earth she was going to do. She was just about to open the door to leave when Tracey ran through, shouting her name.

"Ronnie? The police called earlier, but Phil was...unavailable. They've released Roxy's body, you're free to arrange the funeral. Sorry, love." She said with a sad smile. She put a hand on Ronnie's arm and went back to the bar.

Ronnie fell back down onto the step, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't do it on her own, she couldn't arrange her baby sister's funeral. Ever since that night she'd been shoving her feelings under the carpet, unwilling to let them take over. If they did she wouldn't be able to cope, and she couldn't do that to Danielle.

She sniffed back a few more tears and stood up, walking over to the address book that was on the table in the hall. She found the number she was looking for and scribbled it down, praying for help.

Danielle bounced Amy up and down on her knee, giggling along with her cousin. She couldn't believe that all this was actually happening. She was still half expecting a shouting match every time Ronnie opened her mouth. She felt her phone vibrate against her leg and pulled it out of her pocket. A message from Stacey.

He finger hovered over the buttons, debating the pros and cons of reading or deleting it. Before she could stop herself, she opened it, frowning as she read it.

"Hey Dan, Im sorry. Really sorry. You ok? Xxxx"

She hit reply, then found she had no idea what say. She wanted her friend back more than anything, but it was like there was a huge brick wall between them, and Danielle didn't know what to do. She switched the phone off and turned back to Amy, trying desperately to hold back tears.

She felt so lonely. She wished Ronnie would hurry up and get back. As complicated as things were between them, she was now the only person Danielle had. Amy's crying pulled her from her thoughts. She got up and bobbed around with her, singing softly to her.

Ronnie opened the door, stopping as she watched her daughter singing to her niece. She smiled, Danielle was a natural. She felt like hitting herself, why did she let her go through with the abortion? Her smile fell away as she realised once again how much damage she'd done to her baby.

Danielle looked round and smiled brightly at her mother, then noticed her mood. She seemed so sad.

"What's wrong?" Danielle asked softly, walking over to her mother. Ronnie looked up at her, slightly misty-eyed, and tried to force a smile.

"Um..." Should she tell her about Phil? "I have to sort Roxy's funeral soon...and...uh...I don't think Phil's in any position to be helping Peggy right now..."

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked, grabbing her mother's hand and leading her to the couch.

"He's drinking again...Ben found him passed out this morning." Ronnie said, running her fingers through Danielle's hair.

"Oh...what are we gonna do about Archie then?" Danielle said, trying to avoid asking about Roxy. She really didn't want to upset Ronnie.

"I've called Grant, Phil's brother. He's on his way home now." She said, taking Amy from Danielle's arms and pulling her close. She knew it was probably just her imagination, but she smelled like Roxy.

"Where is he?"

"Rio."

"Oh...what...what's happening with Roxy's funeral?" Danielle ventured, lowering her gaze to the ground.

"I, um, I dunno...I don't really want to think about it, you know?" Ronnie whispered, kissing the top of Amy's head.

"I could help...if you want? I dunno...I just want to help..." Danielle mumbled, still unable to look at her mother. Ronnie placed her fingers under Danielle's chin and lifted it, looking into her eyes.

"I know." She kissed her daughter's forehead and stood up. "I have to call the funeral director. You be ok with her for a bit longer?"

"Yeah, course." Danielle smiled. She just wanted to take away all of Ronnie's hurt.

"Have you spoken to Stacey yet?" Ronnie shouted through from the kitchen. Danielle sighed, knowing she had to be honest, Ronnie had been nothing but honest to her.

"No...I dunno what to say."

Archie locked the door behind him, whistling softly as he descended the stairs. He was off out to pick up some dinner for him and Peggy, Chinese he though. He knew she'd rather he went a proper shop, got some food for her to cook for him, but they were on their honeymoon, it was his job to spoil her. He popped into the little shop down the road and picked up a paper, flicking through it absently as he waited in the queue. He stopped on a page near the middle, a small black and white photo catching his eye. It was Peggy. He scanned through the story, a look of horror growing on his face.

He quickly paid for the paper and ran back to the flat. He burst in the door and slammed it behind him, locking it and pulling the chain across. He looked around frantically, shouting Peggy's name.

"Where are you? You stupid..." He stopped when Peggy appeared from the bathroom, drying her wet hair.

"What's going on, Archie?" Peggy asked, mildly amused by his neurotic state. The control freak was losing it. That amusement soon turned to fear, as it became clear something had snapped.

"Who have you been talking to? Hmm? Who have you told?!" He shouted, stalking towards Peggy with the paper rolled up in his fist.

"What? What are you on about?" She asked, frowning in confusion. When he'd left five minutes ago he was sweetness and light, she wondered what had changed.

"Have you been speaking to that daughter of mine? Stupid girl, always meddling in other people's business....who have you told?!"

"What do you mean 'who have I told'? You're the only person I've spoken to in days, it's just been you and me, just like you wanted!" Peggy cried, trying desperately to calm him down. After the things he'd done to his own daughter she had no idea what he was capable of.

"Well you must have told someone...how else would they know? Have you been speaking darling Phil? Is that it?" He fumed, thumping the paper off the back of the couch.

"Know what?" She asked calmly, putting a hand on his arm.

"How else would the police think that you're missing?! It's in the paper and everything...they're looking for you...but there's nothing wrong, right? We're on our honeymoon!"

---Well there you go! Probably won't be able to update over the weekend as I'm working, so I'll try and get another bit up tonight, if not...I'm sorry!! Thanks for reading, Fiona x


	13. Chapter 13

Ronnie and Danielle were sitting on the sofa, a pile of empty cartons from the Chinese on the table in front of them. Ronnie was trying to concentrate on the film they were watching, but she couldn't help but watch Danielle instead. She couldn't believe this was the young woman her baby had turned into; she couldn't believe that she had made her.

"What?" Danielle murmured, not looking away from the screen. "Do I have food on me or something?" She began wiping the side of her mouth with her sleeve.

"No, sweetie. Sorry, can't help it." Ronnie said with a small laugh.

"Well, try. It's creping me out..." Danielle said, a smile growing on her own lips. She leant further into Ronnie, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist. She sighed softly when Ronnie pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. Despite everything, this was heaven.

Archie crouched beneath the window, slowly peering through the gap underneath the blinds.

"Oh, for God's sake Archie, no one knows we're here...you made damn sure of that." Peggy huffed. She was sitting on the floor, tied to the dining table.

"What if they do? What if they take you away from me? No...we can't have that. We'll just stay here for a few more days...just till it all dies down...I'll sort it so we can go back to Spain. Spain, eh, how does that sound?" Archie said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Oh...wonderful darlin', just bloody wonderful."

Tracey groaned at the banging coming from upstairs. She felt sorry for Ben, he'd been through so much, and now he had to watch his dad on self destruct. The pub wasn't too busy, so she decided to go upstairs and check that everything was ok. Peering into the living room she frowned at Phil, who was banging the TV remote off the coffee table.

"Phil?"

"Tracey! Hi Tracey...shouldn't you be working?" He slurred, an idiotic grin on his face.

"I just came up to see if you were alright."

"Oh, that was nice of you...very, very nice. I like you, Tracey. Don't think I've ever told you that before. You're a nice lady." He laughed, chucking the remote behind the sofa. "No battery. Do you know where the batteries are? Ben's useless."

Ronnie could hear her phone ringing in the bedroom but ignored it. Danielle had fallen asleep hours ago, and she'd just been sitting staring at her. She knew it was weird, but she couldn't help it. She smiled slightly as Danielle muttered something, turning around and burying her face in the couch. When the phone rang for a third time Danielle's eyes fluttered open.

"Would you please just get that?" Danielle laughed sleepily, pushing Ronnie off the couch.

Ronnie laughed as she nearly fell off the couch; her legs had gone to sleep after sitting still for so long.

"Alright, I'm going..." She muttered, jogging through to catch it before whoever it was hung up. She frowned as she looked at the screen, 'Dad mobile'.

"Are you gonna answer it or what?" Danielle shouted through, her smile evident in her voice.

"It's...it's my dad." She replied, her finger hovering over the buttons. She lifted the phone to her ear and cleared her throat, trying to steady her nerves.

"Hello?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see Danielle jump up and walk towards her, her face showing her fear.

"V? It's dad, love. Are you in?"

"It's two in the morning, of course I'm in." She said, lightening her tone. Danielle was leaning up beside her shoulder, trying to her what Archie was saying.

"Do you mind if me and Peg pop by? I need to talk to you about something."

"Now?" Ronnie asked, starting to shake a little. She didn't want him anywhere near her, but she did want Peggy back.

"Yeah, sorry it's so late, but it's important. I'm about an hour away."

"Um...sure, sure. See you in a bit."

"Bye, love."

Ronnie hung up, her hands trembling. Danielle laced her fingers through Ronnie's, looking up at her confused.

"What did he say?" Danielle asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Ronnie looked like she was going to be sick. It took a lot to shake Ronnie up like that.

"He's coming here...with Aunty Peg. You can't be here." Ronnie said, turning to face her daughter, her eyes full of tears.

"But...but you can't be on your own...I'm not leaving you here on your own with him." Danielle said, feeling a tiny bit proud for standing up for herself against her mother.

"Sweetie...I...there's something not right with him. I don't think you being here would help..." Ronnie said, running her fingers through Danielle's hair, as if trying to comfort herself.

"But...no! Please...what if he..."

"Exactly. Come on, I'll walk you over to the Vic, you can wait there. I'll call you as soon as he's gone, I promise. Go get Amy; I'll shove some stuff in a bag for her."

"Mum..." Danielle whimpered, clinging on to Ronnie's arm. Ronnie pulled her close and wrapped her arms around her little girl, holding her tightly. She felt Danielle's tears wet her t-shirt, so peeled herself away and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Oh, sweetie...everything's gonna be ok. I promise."

---Hey! Sorry about the lack of updates, studying seems to be taking over my life at the mo! Oh well, 1 more week and then I'm off till October, can't really complain! Also sorry that this is a bit short, and kind of a filler, but we're building up to the action, slowly but surely! Had to get a bit of drunken Phil in, how funny was that scene with the playstation?! Thanks for the reviews, and for reading, Fiona xx


	14. Chapter 14

Archie looked over at Peggy. She was staring out the window and hadn't said a word since they'd got in the car. He couldn't be bothered with her childish attitude, he didn't have time. All he cared about was getting to Ronnie. Once he had his girls together no one could do anything to hurt him. They were all he needed. He saw a sign for a service station and turned off the motorway, Peggy whipping her head round in surprise.

"I need a coffee." He barked, not feeling the need to justify himself to her. Not when she was behaving like that.

"Any chance I can go to the loo?" Peggy asked hesitantly, forcing a smile onto her lips.

"Course. I'm not your keeper."

Ronnie jumped as her phone vibrated loudly against the table. Lifting her head out of her hands, she reached over and picked it up slowly, almost afraid in case Archie's name popped up.

She frowned as she realised it was a message from Danielle.

'I want to come home. I love you. Xxx'

Ronnie felt like crying. Despite all the things she'd done to her daughter, Danielle could still feel this way about her. Ronnie knew she hadn't been forgiven, but it was a start. She tapped a quick reply, trying to ignore how much her fingers were trembling.

'Everything's ok, don't worry. Go to bed. Love you too. Xxx'

Danielle laughed aloud at her mother's words. How could she not worry? She had thought Archie was dangerous enough before, but now...her thoughts sent a shiver racing down her spine. She got up off the couch and padded through to what had been Roxy's room. She felt unbelievably uncomfortable being there. Despite Ronnie's constant assurances that it wasn't her fault, Danielle still felt responsible for Roxy's death. She forced the thoughts away, as she noticed a pair of Ronnie's pyjamas folded neatly on top of the chair in the corner of the room. Danielle picked them up and held them to her chest, the smell of her mother comforting her more than anything else could.

Amy whimpered slightly, so Danielle lifted her out of her cot, not wanting to wake Phil. She held her cousin tightly to her and lay down on the bed, singing softly. She tried blocking out her thoughts, but all that would enter her mind was Ronnie. She wondered if Ronnie felt that way about her all the time, like a mother should.

She picked up her phone and typed in a reply, quickly deleting it. She started again, getting as far as 'ok' before dropping the phone in frustration. What could she say to make it better?

Peggy looked cautiously over at Archie as he turned off the engine. He smiled at her as he opened his door. She let out a deep breath as she watched him jog round to hers, opening it and offering her his arm. She grimaced and took it, pulling herself out of the car.

"You want a coffee?" He asked, a smug grin on his face as he realised he's won. She was in a much better mood than she had been before.

"Yeah...sounds good love. Tell you what, you go and order them while I pop to the loo?"

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I...I wasn't...I didn't mean..."

"Calm down, Peg. Only joking!"

Ronnie smiled as she read her daughter's latest message, relaxing slightly.

'Phil's in the bathroom singing. It's half 2 am...should I be worried?! 3 xxx"

She knew what Danielle was trying to do, and Ronnie was trying her hardest to let her worries go, but Archie kept jumping into her thoughts. Even when he wasn't there he could still worm his way into her head, ruining everything.

'Just leave him, he'll find his way back to bed...and it's half 2 young lady! Go to sleep! Love you xxx'

Noticing the time her stomach flipped. Half an hour till show time. For a moment she considered running away, but that wouldn't help Peggy. Her phone beeped again, and she picked it up. Her heart tweaked a little as she thought of Danielle, alone and worried over at the Vic. But she couldn't be here. Ronnie had promised to protect her, and she would.

'Can't sleep. Miss you lol 3 xxx'

Danielle placed her phone next to the pillow as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to doze a little as she waited for her mother's reply. Amy snuggled into her side, clutching at a few strands of Danielle's hair. She could hear Phil battering about in his room, and hoped Ben was asleep. It wasn't fair. His dad was his hero.

Her phone lit up beside her and she grabbed it, quickly opening the message.

'I'm right here, always will be. Sweet dreams, baby girl. Love you xxx'

Peggy slowly pushed the toilet door open. Seeing Archie sitting at a table with his back to her, she seized her chance. Pulling off her heels, she made a dash for the door, running as fast and quietly as she could. Ignoring the odd look she got from a lorry driver, she pulled the keys she had taken from his coat pocket out of her bag and jumped into the car. It had been a while since Peggy had driven, but she was desperate. She got it started and pulled away, admittedly a little rusty, and headed for the exit back onto the motorway. She was going home, whether hubby dearest liked it or not.

---Hi! Sorry, again, for the lack of updates, work and studying getting in the way again. Thanks for all the reviews! Would like an opinion, though, Ronnie and Jack, good or bad idea? I'm undecided...perhaps a bit too much going on for her? Lol, thanks for reading, and hope you're not getting bored! Fiona xx


	15. Chapter 15

Archie glanced at his watch, wondering where on earth Peggy had got to. Stupid woman had probably got herself lost, he thought. She couldn't do anything without his help. He downed the last of his coffee and wandered over to the ladies. He knocked on the door sharply, calling Peggy's name. When there was no answer her frowned. He looked around, making sure there was no one watching him, and pushed the door open a little, peering inside.

"Peggy? Sweetheart, you in here?" He called, anger boiling up when he found it empty. "Stupid bitch!" He cried, kicking the door in frustration. She couldn't have gone far, he decided. He reached into his pocket for his keys. He didn't find them. They had to be in there, that was his key pocket. He quickly patted himself down, knowing full well they wouldn't be anywhere else. She must have taken them. He kicked the door again and stalked towards the exit. He burst out into the car park, feeling the cold wind chill his bones. He looked towards where he'd left the car and frowned when he couldn't see it. Peggy told him she hadn't driven in years; she wouldn't be so stupid...would she?

Ronnie jumped awake as she heard a key in the lock. Looking around frantically, she picked up the first solid thing she laid her hands on, the phone, and slowly stood up. The door opened and she froze, peering round past the wall, nearly having a heart attack as Danielle rushed towards her.

"It's five o'clock!" Danielle cried, flinging her arms around Ronnie's neck.

"What?" Ronnie replied, dropping the phone and giving Danielle a proper hug.

"He was supposed to come two hours ago! I've been lying awake waiting for you to call, but when you didn't, I thought something awful had happened, so I left Amy over the road and came here, but I'm guessing he didn't show?" Danielle babbled, clinging onto Ronnie's shoulders tightly.

"No...No, he never came. That's...odd. He sounded...desperate? on the phone." Ronnie paused slightly, kissing Danielle's hair. "And what did I tell you? Everything's fine, see?"

Peggy squinted at the sign in front of her, not sure whether this was her exit or not. Deciding at the last minute it definitely was, she veered across the lanes, not noticing the van speeding down towards her.

Ronnie opened her eyes slowly, blinking at the bright light. She'd forgotten to shut her curtains before she went to sleep, and sun was streaming through the window, turning the room a bright shade of gold. She glanced over at her daughter, who was snoring softly beside her. Just like Roxy, she thought, as it hit her again. She was burying her sister tomorrow. It still wouldn't sink in properly. This was it, her final goodbye.

Loud banging on the door caused Danielle to jerk awake.

"It's ok, probably Phil with Amy. Back in a sec." Ronnie said, although she had a sinking feeling it wasn't Phil. She hesitated slightly before opening the door. Did she really just want to let him back in?

She was about to walk away when the thumping started again. Danielle popped her head around the door, a frown on her face. Ronnie told her to go back inside. As soon as she realised why, Danielle shook her head and walked towards Ronnie, standing behind her defiantly. Ronnie shrugged slightly, and laid a protective hand on Danielle's arm, a sickly feeling growing in her stomach.

She unlocked the door and pulled it open a little, faltering when her father barged straight past her into the flat. He stopped, looking at Danielle as if she was an alien.

"What's she doing here?" He asked, looking back at Ronnie, a look of genuine confusion on his face.

"She's uh...never mind. Not important." She said, giving Danielle's arm a squeeze and shoving her back towards the bedroom. It was probably for the best that he didn't know, given his recent behaviour. "Where's Aunty Peg?"

"Probably over at the Vic. She left me, V. I don't know what to do. I need to get her back. I need your help to get her back." He said, turning to face her and grabbing her arm.

"What...what do you mean she left you?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could he think he could get her back? How could he thing she would help him?

"We were on our way back...she took my keys and she left...things went wrong, V."

"What do you mean?"

"People know."

"People know what?" Ronnie flinched as Archie brought his face opposite hers. She could feel his breath on her cheek as she spoke and gagged slightly. She was fighting the growing urge to kill him. The only thing stopping her was the knowledge that Danielle was next door.

"They think I took her, V. But I wouldn't have had to if everybody had just listened to me. It was her own stupid fault...she...she...wait." He stopped abruptly, storming over to the bedroom door and flinging it open. Ronnie's heart lurched as he pulled a terrified looking Danielle out into the hall. "You, girl..." He spat, dropping her to the floor like a rag doll, "You should have done what Granddad told you. You should have gone away and stayed away. Little brat...do you see what you've done to this family? Hmm?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" He leant in to her, screaming in her face.

Ronnie weakly tried to pull him back, suddenly sobbing loudly. All she could focus on was Danielle's face. Her wide, teary eyes, her trembling chin. For the first time since she was fourteen years old, she was terrified of her dad.

---Hey! Thanks for the reviews, and the opinions. Think I'm going to leave Rack for just now...we'll see later on. And Dodger5339, we're on the same wavelength, Danielle lets rip in the next chapter ;) Sorry it's a bit short for now, I was originally going to have this and the next chapter all together, but I thought it was maybe a bit much. Thanks for reading, and reviewing, love hearing your opinions on where you'd like the story to go, sometimes I get too many ideas for my own good :P. Cheers, Fiona xx


	16. Chapter 16

Danielle pushed herself out of Archie's grasp, ending up pressed up against the wall. She glanced up at Ronnie, the fear in her mother's eyes panicking her more. Archie stopped suddenly, whirling back to face Ronnie.

"Where's your sister?" He asked, his voice softening again.

"What?!" Ronnie gasped. She wanted to be sick.

"Where is she? I need a word with my little girl."

"You can't! She's..." Ronnie trailed off, tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't believe he was saying these things. He shook his head slightly, staggering towards her.

"Of course I can. I'm her father." He growled. He lowered his face level with Ronnie's and gripped her chin.

"STOP IT!!" Danielle screamed, launching herself at Ronnie. Pushing her out of the way, she stood defiantly in front of Archie. Although her trembling lips gave away her fear, her voice was stronger than Danielle could ever remember it being before. "How can you stand there and call yourself a father?"

"What are you talking about, girl? What do you know about being a parent? You let her take that away from you." He spat, nodding towards Ronnie. Danielle gasped slightly; she didn't think Ronnie would tell anyone about the abortion, least of all him.

"What kind of dad would do what you've done? All you've ever done is hurt your family...Roxy is dead because of you!" Danielle screamed. She shut her mouth quickly, unable to believe she'd done that. She'd never stood up to anyone in her life like that. She felt like her knees were about to give way. Flashing a desperate look at Ronnie, she turned back to Archie as he started speaking again. She couldn't believe she'd ever wanted to call him family.

"You stupid, stupid girl. It's not my fault. I'm not the one who ran out in front of a car...I think you'll find you're to blame." Archie whispered, his face centimetres from Danielle's.

Ronnie stood frozen to the spot. Her initial terror had started to fade, as Danielle was holding her own. She felt a little proud of her daughter. But now that fear was returning. She thought Danielle had finally stopped feeling so guilty about what happened...she worried this was just going push Danielle back again.

"But..." Danielle whimpered, feeling all her confidence melt away. She was back to being little Danielle Jones, who wouldn't say boo to a ghost. Archie grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards him. She felt something snap, and tried to cry out, but she couldn't make a sound.

"You killed my little girl!" Archie shouted, twisting her wrist the other way, smiling a little as she squealed in pain. This was his chance to get rid of her. The cause of every single one of his problems for the last twenty years.

"Danielle!" Ronnie's voice pulled his gaze away from Danielle for a second. He looked into his daughter's eyes, a little dismayed to find her so upset.

Ronnie noticed Archie loosen his grip on Danielle, so she wrapped her arms around her daughter's waist and pulled her towards her. She could feel Danielle trembling as she pushed her behind her slightly. She grasped her little girl's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Danielle squeezed back, standing behind Ronnie, burying her face in her mother's hair.

"Get out." Ronnie said quietly, feeling Danielle sobbing behind her. She just wanted him out of her life.

"Come on, V..."

"Just get out!" Ronnie screamed, unable to stomach the sight of her father any longer. Archie rushed towards her, knocking Danielle out of the way. He slammed Ronnie up against the door, holding her throat firmly as she squirmed to free herself.

"You stupid, ungrateful bitch! Why can't you just do what you're told? If you'd only been a good girl...all I ever wanted was for you to be happy...all I ever wanted were my girls to be perfect. And then she came along," he hissed, nodding towards Danielle, "and ruined it. Ruined you."

Danielle scrambled towards the kitchen, hearing her mother choking and gasping for breath. She opened a drawer and grabbed the first heavy object she could, and stormed back through.

"Stop it! I'm warning you!"

"Be quiet, girl. Don't speak until you're spoken to, that's what father used to say." Archie muttered back, tightening his grip around Ronnie's neck.

Ronnie fell back slightly, surprised when Archie let her go. His face contorted in pain and he grunted slightly, falling forward into the middle of the floor. She looked up, confused, to see Danielle, standing, frozen, with her hands dripping with blood. Her face was completely blank, staring at Archie as he took his last breath, a knife sticking out of his back.

"Way hey! She is a Mitchell after all!" Phil chuckled from the door, swaying slightly, Amy in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other.

---Hi! Sorry it's been so long between chapters, but that's all the exams finished, so I'll be updating more frequently :) Hope that worked, I wanted to show that Danielle has Mitchell blood in her, that she's not just a wimp. Hope you're still enjoying, and review if you can, I'd love to hear some of your ideas on where to go next with Danielle. Thanks for reading, Fiona xx


	17. Chapter 17

Peggy shook her head, forcing her eyes open. Pain shot through her as she tried to move, peeling herself off the steering wheel. She looked around, squinting into the sunlight. She wondered how long she'd been there. Panic suddenly hit her. She had no phone, no idea where she was, and no one else knew where she was. If she'd been there all night and no one had noticed, what were her chances?

Ronnie turned to Phil, who was standing chuckling away to Amy. She looked back at Danielle, who hadn't moved, then to her father. He was lying on the floor, the pool of blood spreading closer to Ronnie's feet. Danielle's socks were soaked in it. She tried desperately to move, to speak, but nothing was working. She jumped when Danielle moved, falling to the floor as her knees buckled underneath her. Her face still showed nothing, that same blank stare focussed on Archie's back.

"Mum?" Danielle croaked, still not looking away. She couldn't help it. She half expected him to wake up and start shouting again. She couldn't get her head around what had just happened. It seemed like a dream. She felt sick. She'd killed someone. She'd killed her own grandfather.

"Baby?" Ronnie whispered back, crouching down level with Danielle, placing a shaking hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Please...I'm sorry...I...I don't...please make it go away?" Danielle stuttered, tearing her eyes up to meet her mother's. Ronnie said nothing, just looking deep into her daughter's eyes, deeper than she had before. She could see how scared Danielle was, how vulnerable. She just wanted to lock her little girl away, keep her safe, make sure nothing could ever hurt her again.

"It's...it's gonna be ok. Sweetie...it's ok. I promise." Ronnie said, pressing her lips to Danielle's cheek, pulling her into an awkward hug. She could feel Danielle shake her head, so placed a hand on her chin to stop her. "I'll sort it. I'll make it all go away. I promise." She stood up slowly, still gripping Danielle's shoulder and turned back to Phil.

"Phil...I need you to sober up. Right now. Where's Aunty Peg?"

"I dunno...squeaky over there told me she was coming here with him."

Peggy stumbled through the gap in the fence onto the hard shoulder of the motorway. Broken glass crunched under her feet as she tried to fathom out what had happened. The last thing she remembered was joining the motorway at the service station. The sign above her head told her she was about forty miles away. Ten or so miles from home. She looked back in the direction of the car. She must have crashed through the barrier into the trees behind it. She just couldn't remember how.

The road was completely deserted. She looked back down the road and again back up, spotting an orange phone box a little way up. She let out a small sigh and trudged towards it, fighting the overwhelming urge to give in and just lie down and go to sleep.

Ronnie groaned as she heard Phil mumbling away to himself in the kitchen. She'd left him with three cups of coffee to try and sober him up, but it clearly wasn't working. She'd hauled Danielle up and taken her through to the bathroom. As her daughter sat in the bath, sobbing her heart out, Ronnie scrubbed all the blood off her hands and feet. She lifted her out and dried her, letting Danielle sit on the toilet seat limply. She kissed the top of her head and left her, telling her to brush her teeth.

She walked through to the bedroom, trying not to look at the body on the floor. She pulled a blanket out of the wardrobe and cautiously walked closer to her father. She hesitated for a few minutes, wondering how on earth she came to be in this situation. Large hands pulled the blanket out of her hands and laid it over Archie. She looked up to see Phil standing beside her with his hands on his hips.

"Take the girls over to the Vic. I'll sort this out. Don't talk to anyone on your way over. Try to keep her quiet." He said, his happy drunken smile replaced by his usual frown.

"Thanks Phil."

"Yeah. Talk to her. We don't need her starting rumours. Put a smile on her face before you leave."

Ronnie nodded gently and made her way back through to the bathroom, finding Danielle in the same position on the toilet. She must have cleaned her teeth though, Ronnie noticed, as the toothbrush was wet. She crouched down in front of her daughter. Danielle had stopped crying, but her eyes were still glassy and empty. She moved her head slightly, acknowledging Ronnie's presence.

"Sweetie...are you ok?" Ronnie regretted the words as soon as they'd left her mouth. Of course she wasn't ok. But this wasn't the time or place to talk about it.

"I...I just...ask me again later?" Danielle whispered, taking Ronnie's hand and holding it tightly. It dawned on her quickly; they were in exactly the same position as that night, only a few days ago, when she'd told Ronnie. Only now roles were reversed, and Ronnie was the one begging Danielle to be ok. Danielle almost laughed. A part of her was quite happy about it. She was hurting Ronnie in just the way Ronnie had hurt her. Causing her mother this pain was like flicking a switch in Danielle's brain, all the anger and frustration fizzling away for a second as she realised how much power she had over her mother. For months Ronnie had all the power, and now Danielle had control.

"Ok, baby. Listen...we need to go over to the Vic for a little while. Phil's gonna sort things out for us..." Ronnie trailed off, realising Danielle wasn't listening to a word she was saying. "Danielle? Sweetie?"

Danielle looked up, focussing her eyes for the first time in a while. She could see how pale Ronnie looked, her frown indicating her worry. Danielle felt sick. Her mum was hurting and she was happy that she'd caused it. Who'd want a daughter like her?

---Hey! Thanks for all the reviews, I'm really glad you're all enjoying it! Almost finished the next chapter so I'm hoping to get it up tomorrow, had a super busy weekend so didn't get a chance to write much. Thanks for reading, Fiona x


	18. Chapter 18

Danielle nodded, almost imperceptibly, and let go of Ronnie's hand, trying to stand up. Ronnie gently pulled her back down and Danielle groaned. She wanted to escape. Everything felt too close; she wanted to be out of reach of it all. Most of all, she wanted a bit of distance between her and her mother. She couldn't take it, all the kind smiles, the comforting kisses, they just made Danielle feel worse. She thought she felt guilty about what happened to Roxy, but that feeling was nothing compared to this. She felt like she was suffocating.

"Danielle?" Ronnie's voice pulled her back to reality. Her mother looked worried, but Danielle didn't really care. All she could think about was what had just happened. Her memories of it were repeating on a loop inside her head, and every time she closed her eyes, even just to blink, she saw his eyes. The cold, hard look he gave her when he realised what she'd done. The look he gave her when he realised she'd killed him.

"Yeah?" She whispered, realising that Ronnie was still sitting waiting for an answer.

"Sweetie...when we go outside...people can't know what happened, you understand? You have to pretend you're ok, just until we get inside the Vic."

"Why? I'm a murderer. People should know. You should really call the police. I might do it myself in a bit." Danielle said, her voice a monotone that sent a shiver down Ronnie's spine. It was like Danielle wasn't there anymore. Ronnie didn't know what to say to this little girl.

"Baby girl...I can't...it's my job to protect you, ok? I'm not gonna let you get in trouble for this. He was...he didn't deserve to live."

"Of course he deserved life! Everyone, no matter how horrible, deserves to live. I'm not God! I don't get to decide who's worthy of living or not! I can't believe you just said that...about your own father." Danielle said, her screams subsiding into a mournful sob, a sound which shattered Ronnie's heart into a million pieces.

"Sweetie...I'm sorry. I don't know what to say...I just want to make you better, baby."

"Maybe I can't get better. Maybe this is me."

Peggy felt relieved as she put the phone down, knowing that someone was coming to help her. She wandered back down to where the car was. She sat on the fence and lowered her head into her hands. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she thought over what had happened. She knew he was probably looking for her; he was probably ready to kill her. No one crosses a Mitchell and lives to tell the tale.

"Danielle? Danielle, look at me. There is not a bad bone in your body. This isn't you...you did it to protect me...you are a good person. One of the best. So don't you dare believe any of that."

"How do you know that?" Danielle asked, looking deep into Ronnie's eyes. She was searching for a hint of anger, but couldn't find any. Only love. It was a little overwhelming.

"Because I'm your mum. Now come on, let's go get you some clean clothes. Try not to...don't look, ok? Just look at me." Ronnie said, offering Danielle a hand up. She let out a small sigh of relief when Danielle took it, gripping tightly as she realised she'd have to pass Archie on the way to her room. Ronnie rubbed her arm softly, trying to calm her daughter. Ronnie guided her through to her bedroom as Danielle shut her eyes tightly, unable to face what she'd done.

Ronnie left her with a change of clothes, shutting the door behind her. She put a few bottles in a bag for Amy, then sat down facing Phil.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Get rid of bad rubbish."

"But...how? What are we gonna do? What are we gonna tell people?"

"I'll get rid. Don't ask, love, you really don't wanna know. We'll tell people he left, simple as. No one wanted him around, so he left. That's what we'll tell Peggy too."

"Phil...We can't lie to her. She'll find out eventually. Secrets don't last very long in this family."

"Mum?" Came Danielle's shaky voice from the bedroom. Ronnie leapt up and ran to her, feeling a little better. At least Danielle had found her voice again.

"Yeah?" Ronnie asked gently, as she opened the door. She found Danielle in tears again as she sat cradling her hand. Ronnie's stomach flipped, how could she have forgotten? Her wrist was probably broken.

"It hurts." Danielle said simply, looking up at Ronnie, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I know, baby...we'll go to hospital and get it checked out."

"I wasn't talking about my arm."

"Oh...we can talk later, ok? Right now we need to get out of here." Ronnie said quickly, realising she didn't know what to say to Danielle. Ronnie wasn't one for talking about feelings. She didn't know what to do to help her daughter. All she wanted was for her and her baby to get on with their lives, but every time they tried Archie was there to stop it. She sighed slightly as Danielle stood up. Her little girl was falling apart, and Ronnie felt powerless to stop it.

---Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews! I know things are getting a little dark, but I promise it does get better...I'm being awfully cruel to Danielle lol. Sorry this is so short, got a little bit stuck towards the end. Thanks for reading, and review if you have any suggestions of where I can go with this, they'd be much appreciated! Fiona x


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